Bengaluru: Siddaramaiah stepped down as Karnataka Chief Minister on Thursday, submitting his resignation to the Governor's office in Bengaluru and making clear he would remain a force in state politics despite exiting the top post.
Speaking to reporters after handing in his resignation letter, the veteran Congress leader said he had turned down an offer of a Rajya Sabha seat from the party high command, firmly ruling out a move to national politics. “I’ll continue in active politics. I have no interest in national politics. I was asked about the Rajya Sabha. I declined it. I want to remain in Karnataka politics,” he said.
Siddaramaiah confirmed that the decision to quit came directly from the Congress leadership. “Two days back, high command asked me to step down. I told them I’ll resign today. Hence I’ve resigned,” he said, adding that the Governor, who was out of Bengaluru, was constitutionally bound to accept the resignation and facilitate the formation of a new government.
Dismissing concerns about political instability, he asserted the Congress had a comfortable majority with 136 MLAs and the support of two independents.
On an emotional note, Siddaramaiah reflected on two terms as Chief Minister and two stints as Leader of Opposition, thanking Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge for their backing over the years.
Defending his government’s record, he said Karnataka ranked first in per capita income and second in GST collections nationally, crediting the flagship guarantee schemes and rejecting BJP allegations of financial mismanagement. He claimed over Rs 1.4 lakh crore had been spent on the five guarantee schemes and blamed the Centre for withholding Rs 11,495 crore in grants to the state.