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Journalism of Courage
Prominent leaders of Opposition political parties converged on Bengaluru for the swearing-in ceremony of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, as the Congress leadership turned the event into a show of strength.
Apart from Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states such as Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan), Bhupesh Baghel (Chhattisgarh) and Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu (Himachal Pradesh), Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin and Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren were present at the occasion. Other dignitaries included AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, former Jammu and Kashmir CMs Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, RLD leader Jayant Singh, actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury and CPI leader D Raja. The event clearly attempted to showcase a united Opposition, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year.
This was similar to the massive show of strength by Opposition parties in 2018, when the JD(S)-Congress coalition under H D Kumaraswamy had assumed power in the state.
Prior to the event, the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru was witness to a ‘show of unity’ between CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar. With rumours continuing to do rounds about the differences between the two, they attempted to put forth a united face. A loud cheer went up as each lifted the other’s hand, before Rahul Gandhi held up the hands of both leaders.
Unlike 2013, when Siddaramaiah took oath in the name of truth, the CM and most of his ministers this time took oath to work for the interests of the state in the name of God. The only outliers among the eight ministers sworn in today were G Parameshwara — who took oath in the name of the Constitution — and Santosh Jarkiholi, who took oath on social reformers like Buddha, Basavanna and Ambedkar. Other ministers sworn in today were K H Muniyappa, M B Patil, K J George, Ramalinga Reddy, Priyank Kharge and B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan.
The government event soon turned out into a party, as Shivakumar invited Rahul Gandhi and Kharge to address the gathering. Rahul Gandhi, in his speech, thanked the people of the state for standing with the Congress and said that the main reason for its victory in Karnataka was that it stood for the welfare of the poor, backward, downtrodden and Adivasi communities.
Kharge used the opportunity to take a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for withdrawing the Rs 2,000 currency notes. “Whenever he (Modi) goes to Japan, he issues a notification of notebandi (demonetisation). Last time when he went to Japan, he demonetised Rs 1,000 notes. This time he has demonetised the Rs 2,000 note…. The Modi government is just causing problems for the people,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar after they were sworn in, tweeting: “Congratulations to Shri @siddaramaiah Ji on taking oath as Karnataka CM and Shri @DKShivakumar Ji on taking oath as Deputy CM. My best wishes for a fruitful tenure.”
Former CM Basavaraj Bommai also congratulated his successor Siddaramaiah upon taking oath as the new Chief Minister. “Heartiest congratulations to Siddaramaiah for assuming the office as the new Chief Minister of Karnataka and his cabinet members,” the BJP leader tweeted.
