Karnataka cabinet reshuffle decision rests with high command: Muniyappa

Karnataka Minister KH Muniyappa said the party high command will decide on a cabinet reshuffle. Meanwhile, speculation over a leadership change grew after KN Rajanna backed Home Minister G Parameshwara to be CM if Siddaramaiah steps down.

Karnataka Minister KH Muniyappa said on Tuesday that the final decision on the state cabinet reshuffle rests with the party high command, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Sonia Gandhi. Muniyappa said he expects the matter to be resolved by the end of the month, adding that the party leadership will take a final call. "All India Congress Committee President Mallikarjun Kharge, LoP Rahul Gandhi, and Sonia Gandhi have to decide on this issue. I hope by the end of this month it will be settled. The high command has to make a decision," he said.

Leadership Change Speculation Emerges

Earlier on Tuesday, former Karnataka minister KN Rajanna sparked speculation over a possible leadership change in the state, saying Home Minister G. Parameshwara should become Chief Minister if Chief Minister Siddaramaiah steps down. Speaking in Tumkur after the state government's third-year achievement ceremony, Rajanna said, "We are saying that if Siddaramaiah wants a change, Parameshwara should become CM." Rajanna recalled Parameshwara's tenure as Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President for eight years and said, "If he had won in 2013, he would have become CM. He didn't win then. The old dues are still pending."

Parameshwara Responds

Following that, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara clarified that any final decision regarding the state's Chief Minister post rests solely with the 'high command,' that is, the Congress party's central leadership. The Minister addressed lingering political speculation after his cabinet colleague and former classmate, K. N. Rajanna, openly recommended his name to lead the state government if a change in leadership occurs.

Acknowledging his colleague's support while addressing the media, Home Minister G Parameshwara, while talking to the media, said, "Thank you Rajanna, he is my classmate, he speaks on my behalf. But you all know very well what the matter is. Everything will be decided by the high command."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)