Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jul 5: Behind-the-scene efforts to slowly reduce the importance of former chief minister, Siddaramaiah, have begun within Congress circles. There is every possibility of him being divested of the post of the leader of the parliamentary party in the state assembly.

There are complaints that Siddaramaiah has failed in discharging duties as the leader of the parliamentary party and he has been shirking from discharging certain responsibilities. Some leaders say that other than the days on which parliamentary party meetings are held, he has been staying away from the duties he has been expected to perform.

Reportedly, Siddaramaiah had not even allotted the duty of speaking during discussions on Governor's address on behalf of Congress party to the members. Siddaramaiah, it is said, does not find the duties he has to attend to inside the house, to be interesting. Therefore, some leaders want to politically undermine his stature by changing his responsibilities.

As deputy chief minister, Dr G Parameshwar, has been divested of the responsibilities as the president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, some argue that he would be the ideal person for the post of the leader of the parliamentary party to enable him to maintain a balance in the coordination between the two political parties. The high command of the party might take a suitable decision soon.

There are some who claim that former Prime Minister, H D Deve Gowda, is planning to relegate Siddaramaiah politically by convincing Congress leader, Ghulam Nabi Azad, about the need to slowly neglect Siddaramaiah in phases if the coalition has to last long.