The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : I am at ease after leaving Raj Bhavan: Krishna

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I am at ease after leaving Raj Bhavan: Krishna

Special Correspondent

The former Chief Minister thanks Sonia Gandhi for ‘liberating’ him from the gubernatorial post

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Shouldering responsibility: The former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna and KPCC president M. Mallikarjun Kharge at a function in Bangalore on Friday.

Bangalore: The former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna on Friday thanked All-India Congress Committee president Sonia Gandhi for permitted him to resign as Governor of Maharashtra and thereby “liberating him from the Raj Bhavan.”

Making this remark at a press conference after assuming charge of the chairmanship of the election management and coordination committee of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee here, Mr. Krishna said that he was grateful to Ms. Gandhi for permitting him to re-enter State politics.

Mr. Krishna, who was unwilling to take up the job of Governorship of the neighbouring State after the Congress faced a defeat in the Assembly elections in 2004, had been pressuring the Congress high command to relieve him from the post, as he was very much interested in politics, than enjoying the gubernatorial position.

Having been relieved of the post, Mr. Krishna said that he has been at ease ever since he left the Raj Bhavan.

Collective leadership

With the induction of Mr. Krishna and the former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramiah along with KPCC president M. Mallikarjun Kharge into election-related responsibilities, the Congress on Friday provided a picture of collective leadership.

Mr. Krishna, as chairman of the election management and coordination committee, and Mr. Siddaramaiah, as chairman of the campaign committee, stressed the importance of institutionalising certain programmes for sustained growth and uplift of the poor, particularly the Dalits, backward classes and minorities.

In a demonstration of unity in KPCC and collective leadership to face the elections, Mr. Kharge and the two leaders reiterated that all the leaders and workers would work unitedly to achieve the goal of winning elections for fulfilling aspirations of the people.

Mr. Kharge, who has also been appointed chairman of the pradesh election committee, welcoming Mr Krishna and Mr. Siddaramaiah, at a meeting organised at the KPCC office here, claimed that only the Congress had the candidates to field in all the 224 Assembly constituencies. The other parties had only pockets of influence, he said.

Later addressing presspersons, Mr. Krishna said that Karnataka was at the crossroads. He said that heading the government in 1999, he took up works which brought world recognition to the State. The Congress agreed to form a coalition government to avoid another election, but the experiment did not work to the satisfaction of the people. Now, the party will work for giving a stable government, he added. He said that the Congress can achieve the goal if the leaders work forgetting their status in the party.

Echoing his sentiments, Mr. Siddaramaiah said that as Finance Minister he was able to meet the target of development because of the Fiscal Responsibilities Act. The legislation was enacted during Mr. Krishna’s tenure. He was able to improve the finances of the government from the stage of raising loans for clearing the salaries and restricting the fiscal deficit to less than three per cent. But the collection of commercial taxes and stamp and registration fees was reduced by Rs. 500 crore and Rs. 600 crore respectively as against the targets during the H.D. Kumaraswamy tenure, he alleged.

He said that the Union Budget would help improve food security and welfare of the farmers. All-India Congress Committee president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, MP, have indicated that the ceiling of two hectares for loan waiver would be raised and all these would help Congress win a majority, he said.

Both Mr. Kharge and Mr. Siddaramiah said importance should not be given to the “small differences” among the leaders in the Congress. It was natural in an active democratic party such as the Congress represented by various social backgrounds, Mr. Siddaramiah said.

Traffic jam

There was a major traffic jam near the Congress office when the function was in progress.

A large number of vehicles had to take a detour on Queen’s Road owing to the construction of an underpass at Cauvery junction on Bellary Road.

The vehicles had to move at a snail’s pace for over three hours, as Congress workers burst crackers and parked hundreds of vehicles on either side of the road.

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