'Natural' to demand DKS replacement: Parameshwara

Bengaluru: Home Minister G Parameshwara said on Sunday that there was nothing wrong with party leaders seeking the replacement of Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar as the head of the Congress state unit. Such demands are “natural” in national parties, he said.

Parameshwara’s statement comes a day after Shivakumar issued an ultimatum to party colleagues against publicly speculating on internal matters (changing the CM and appointing additional deputy CMs). 

Speaking to reporters, Parameshwara said that Shivakumar is holding two major portfolios — Bengaluru City Development and Water Resources — besides being the deputy CM and the state party president. “The departments that he oversees require enormous energy... So, a section of leaders in the party genuinely feels that he is overburdened with work and may not be able to dedicate himself to strengthening the party for future elections,” he said.

Citing his own example, Parameshwara said that after serving as the party chief for over eight years, he also had to step down and pave the way for a new leader soon after he was sworn in as the home minister. 

“We shouldn’t read too much into such demands as they are not intended to oppose anyone. Even when (BJP national president) JP Nadda was appointed as a Union minister, there were similar demands for his replacement. So, it is a natural demand. Ultimately, it is the party high command that will decide who will hold which post or how many posts,” he said.

On Vokkaliga pontiff Chandrashekaranatha Swami’s demand for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to make way for Shivakumar as the CM, Parameshwara argued that leadership change is the prerogative of the political party, and not any individual or community’s choice. “In a democracy, everyone has the right to express their feelings, but those who make such demands, including seers, must know where and when they should voice them.” 

He suggested that seers must not get into politics. “In any party, the CM will be elected by MLAs under the party high command’s supervision. Parties do not make decisions based on an individual’s opinion or demand,” he stressed.