'Fight between Siddaramaiah-Shivakumar for CM post created by Kharge:' Karnataka BJP Incharge

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], May 21 (ANI): BJP Karnataka in-charge and national general secretary Radha Mohan Das Agrawal on Thursday accused Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge of "instigating a fight between Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar like two cats, while acting like a monkey" in Delhi.
In his statement at the BJP state office, Jagannath Bhavan, Agrawal said, "Kharge is waiting for them to fight so he gets a chance to become Chief Minister. There aren't two faces for CM here. There are three people."
He claimed the Congress is in a bad state. "Several Congress MLAs are in touch with us. Even if Assembly elections are held tomorrow, people will defeat Congress and give BJP a chance to form the government," he said.
Agrawal alleged that the state is in financial distress due to excessive borrowing. "For the last six to seven months, there has been no government here. They are fighting among themselves," he charged.
The remarks come amid ongoing discussions within the Karnataka Congress over power-sharing after the government completes three years in office.
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.
The Congress government in Karnataka has been witnessing internal differences over leadership-sharing arrangements, particularly between supporters of CM Siddaramaiah and Dy CM DK Shivakumar. Sections within the party have been demanding that Shivakumar be made Chief Minister for the remaining term, citing an alleged 2023 "power-sharing agreement."
Responding to questions, Agrawal said the BJP has a full-time state president who is working actively. "Whether he continues as president or not will not be decided in a meeting here. It is wrong to assume that the president's assessment is being done here."
"Assessment in our party is continuous. We don't need to come here to know what any BJP leader is doing," he said. "I am not the president's worker; I am a BJP worker. I can speak on everything."
On leadership changes, he added, "When a new president is finally announced, a new team will naturally be formed in place of the old one. The core committee does not change with a new president. That is decided by the national unit. One or two old members may be replaced with new ones."
Asked about timelines for filling forms and announcing names, Agrawal said, "Presidentship is not a job where forms are filled on the 3rd, interviews held on the 5th, and names declared on the 7th with a fixed salary."
"We have a strong president now. We fought the Lok Sabha elections under his leadership. We will face the Assembly elections under whoever is the president," he clarified.
Agrawal noted that the party's national co-organisation general secretary is in Karnataka. "Assembly elections are due in 2027. There is a failed, corrupt government in the state. It is an appeasement-based government. It has cheated the people of Karnataka. Even the guarantees have not been implemented properly," he alleged. (ANI)