Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jan 15: Former chief minister, Siddaramaiah, holds the posts of the leader of the opposition in the assembly and also Congress legislature party (CLP) leader. He has tendered his resignation to both these posts in view of the party's pathetic performance in the recent bypoll. However, he has been insistent that both these posts should be held by a single person and had expressed his opposition to splitting the responsibilities between two different leaders.

However, the party high command, it is learnt, has told Siddaramaiah that he has to choose one of these posts. All India Congress Committee president, Sonia Gandhi, offered him this choice during Siddaramaiah's meeting with her at Delhi on Tuesday January 14 evening. Therefore, stage is set to clip the wings of Siddaramaiah, who continues to command due respect from most of the legislators in the state.

Sonia reportedly told Siddaramaiah that the issue of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president would be decided on the basis of general opinion of the state leaders and asked him to join hands with the party which is facing a hard time. She told him to inform his choice of the post so that the party can handover responsibility of the remaining post to a leader of its choice.

The spirits of Siddaramaiah, who was cheerful all through the day during his meetings with A K Antony, K C Venugopal and Ahmed Patel, were dampened at the very beginning as Sonia did not allow his supporters-cum-confidantes, M B Patil and Zameer Ahmed Khan during the 25 minute meeting with her. Siddaramaiah, who was apparently not in a good mood at the end of the meeting, went away with a straight face without giving any response to media persons who approached him.

Siddaramaiah also had taken with him Raghavendra Hitnal, Govindaraju and some other leaders who are considered loyal to him, but it is said that Sonia Gandhi cleared indicated that lobbying and factionalism would not be rewarded.

The party has realized that relying entirely on Siddaramaiah for everything will not be beneficial in view of the setbacks it experienced in the recent past. Therefore, it now wants to rely on collective responsibility. It is said that if Siddaramaiah chooses to retain leadership of the opposition, CLP leadership will be given to Dr G Parameshwar. If Siddaramaiah chooses to retain leader of the CLP, H K Patil is likely to be made the leader of the opposition in the assembly.