Leadership row: Testing time for Siddaramaiah to prove his strength, says Bommai

Amid the leadership tussle in the Congress, Basavaraj Bommai, former Chief Minister and MP, on Monday (November 24) said the time has come for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to prove whether he still enjoys the same strength he had during his previous term.

“It is a testing time for Mr. Siddaramaiah to either show his original strength and rebellious character or compromise in the ongoing political developments. Whether he will assert his strength or chooses to compromise is something we have to wait and see. It will become clear he has lost his influence if he opts for a compromise now,” Mr. Bommai told reporters in Mysuru.

He was responding to questions on the reported tussle between Mr. Siddaramaiah and his deputy D.K. Shivakumar over leadership change.

The former Chief Minister added the administration under Mr. Siddaramaiah in his current term is entirely different from his first. “The administration has collapsed now and there is no development in the State, besides allegations of corruption and nepotism. I had said this earlier, and I reiterate now, that there is a significant change in his administration compared to his previous tenure as Chief Minister,” he said.