Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah resigns but will not retreat from state politics

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah tendered his resignation to Prabhushankar, Special Secretary to Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on 28 May. The Governor left for Indore, Madhya Pradesh on May 27 for personal reasons. He was expected to return on May 28.

Mr. Siddaramaiah expressed confidence that his resignation would be accepted by the Governor soon after he returns to the Lok Bhavan.

He insisted that it was the governor’s responsibility to accept the resignation as soon as it was submitted and make way for the next Chief Minister to take over.

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Soon after submitting his resignation, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recalled the famous lines of Kannada actor Dr. Rajkumar who used to refer to his fans as “abhimani devaru” (gods of fans) to express his respect and gratitude to them.

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“I am a politician. Constitution is my religion and voters are my abhimani devaru (fan gods),” the CM said.

He thanked former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge and his party colleagues for giving him the opportunity to serve as the Chief Minister of Karnataka.

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Walk down memory lane

He said in his memoirs that he was an “accidental politician”, with no one in the family being in politics. Citing his rural background, he recalled his journey in politics, from taluk panchayat member to minister, deputy CM, leader of opposition and chief minister (2013–18 and 2023–26).

In 2006, he said that senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel (now deceased) made him meet Sonia Gandhi and allowed him to join the Congress.

“I have always believed in the ideals of ‘Buddha, Basava and Ambedkar’ and that wealth should be redistributed among all sections of society. I believe that we have to create an equal society where all sections get equal opportunities. Both the governments that I have led have tried to ensure equal opportunities.”

He said Bhagya’s schemes of his earlier tenure (2013-18) and assurances of the current one reflect his views on the matter.

Emphasizing social justice, Mr. Siddaramaiah said, “Due to lack of equal opportunities, there are inequalities in society. To get rid of that, everyone should get equal opportunities.” Governments under his leadership in 2013 and in 2023 therefore made an honest effort to ensure that everyone in society had such equal opportunities, he said.

“In 2013, we made 168 promises, out of which we fulfilled 158 promises. We had over 550 promises in the 2023 manifesto, of which we have fulfilled 300 so far. Besides, we have announced five guarantee schemes, which we have fulfilled. So far, we have spent over ₹4 crore on guarantee schemes.”

He raised the issue at a press conference to emphasize that the Congress government in Karnataka has made every effort to fulfill its promises, despite claims in some sections of the media about guarantee schemes draining the state exchequer.

He accused the opposition and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of running a disinformation campaign against his government on the guarantee schemes. Although they argued that the guarantee schemes would derail the economy, the state ranks first in per capita income and second in the country in fee and service tax collection.

“India’s GDP growth is 7.1% this year but 8.1% in Karnataka. The opposition is saying that I have taken a lot of loans and the state is drowning in debt. But this is a false allegation. I have answered this in the assembly in my reply during the budget session. We have never exceeded the limits set by Karnataka Act 20, Accountability.

“Prudently managed finances”

He said that finances should be managed within the parameters laid down in the Karnataka Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2002. For example, he said the state’s fiscal deficit should be less than 3% and for Karnataka it is 2.85%. Loans should be less than 25% of State GSPD. The state’s borrowings are up to ₹30 crore, which is 24.94% of our GDP, he said.

The third criterion is that the state should have a revenue surplus. However, Karnataka’s revenue deficit has been blamed on the previous BJP government, claiming it mismanaged the state’s finances.

Pointing out that the revenue shortfall is ₹19,500 crore, he directly blamed the Union government for not providing grants of ₹11,495 crore, which was due to Karnataka. Similarly, the Center has not provided ₹5,300 crore earmarked for the Upper Bhadra project, he said.

“He didn’t seek power”

In 1978, he became a member of the taluk board. He became a legislator in 1983. His political career spanning nearly 50 years, he claimed, is an open book. He claimed that he never gave up on his principles. “I have never sought power or money. I have never sought property. I have never compromised my ideology or values,” he said.

“I have never compromised on issues related to Karnataka’s water, land and language. These are the rights of the people of the state.” he said.

He said he owes his career to the constitution drawn up by a committee chaired by Dr. BR Ambedkar and which gives equal rights to every Indian. He said he would not have become a taluk council member, legislator, minister, leader of opposition, CM or deputy CM if it was not for the Constitution of India.

“I will fight until my last breath against communal forces, those who seek to undermine the constitution and those who prevent equal opportunities for all in society,” he said.

He jokingly thanked the moderators for tolerating him, then thanked them seriously for supporting his work throughout his career.

He said he will continue active politics, work for the people and undertake any work given to him by the Congress party. “The Congress high command asked me to go to the Rajya Sabha. But I humbly told them that I am not interested in national politics and want to continue in state politics,” he said.

Although Deputy Chief Minister and CM-designate DK Shivakumar was sitting next to him at the press conference, Mr. Siddaramaiah dropped his nomination as the next Chief Minister. When asked who will be the next CM, he said, “Whoever is chosen by the high command and the Congress legislature party will become the next chief minister.