Santosh Lad says Karnataka Congress issue will be resolved in a week or two

13 hours ago

In a candid interview with India Today, Karnataka Labour Minister Santosh Lad said the Karnataka Congress issue will be resolved in a week or two.

Transcript

00:00Santosh Laad, minister in the Siddharamaya government is joining me.

00:04Not too many ministers speaking out, appreciate your joining us Santosh Laad.

00:08The impression one is getting by the day that the Congress government in Karnataka is completely

00:12a house divided at the top.

00:15One part with Mr. Siddharamaya, the other with DK Shiv Kumar and even now the two leaders

00:19on social media are finding ways to hit out at each other.

00:23Am I right to say the Congress, Mr. Laad is split wide open in Karnataka over the Chief

00:27Minister issue?

00:30It's not split as such, it's definitely, you know, it will be wrong that if I say the

00:36confusions is not there, yes it is there, but I am sure in the course of time, maybe in

00:40a week or two, everything will be resolved.

00:44But isn't all of this Mr. Laad sending out the wrong signal?

00:46When you are two top leaders, one you are Karnataka Pradesh Congress Chief and Deputy Chief Minister

00:51and the other, the Chief Minister, seem to be sniping at each other, engaging or their supporters

00:56engaging in one upmanship, every leader in Karnataka speaking in favour of one side or

01:03the other.

01:04There is a question that goes out, the BJP will have a field day, they are saying that

01:07this is, Congress is imploding instead of governance, they are involved in Kissa Kursi ka.

01:12It's not much, see, this BJP allegation and as well as the media was speculating this quite,

01:20quite a long bit, maybe last from six months we are hearing this.

01:27So maybe, I am just telling you, on the record, I would like to state because already Mr. Karagas

01:32sahab has told, by next week, both the leaders will be called and the decisions will be taken

01:37by the High Command itself.

01:39But it's a very unfortunate situation.

01:40Okay, you are making an admission that it's an unfortunate situation because D.K.

01:46Shiv Kumar, a few days ago, claimed that there was a secret deal that existed between five

01:52or six people who knew about it and the implication was that two and a half years, Chief Minister

01:58would be Siddharam Mahia, two and a half years, D.K.

02:01Shiv Kumar, the two and a half years are over last week.

02:05Many are saying that this is an unworkable proposition.

02:08What's your view?

02:09Can this two and a half years, two and a half years deal work and can you have a Chief Minister

02:13replacement like this?

02:15See, I was not the party to it and neither I am aware of it, neither I know

02:22it.

02:23So, any such decisions to be made, again, you know, how much you would ask me the same question,

02:27Zarasteep, I'm going to come back to you and answer the same question because CM himself

02:31is categorically told that any decision taken by High Command is going to abide by it.

02:38But in all these months or the last two years, has Mr. Siddharam Mahia ever mentioned in any

02:42cabinet meeting or personal meeting about a secret deal two and a half years each?

02:47Have any of you been taken into confidence that there could be a change in leadership at no

02:51stage?

02:52Are you telling me no one has even spoken about in Karnataka since the media has been openly

02:56speculating about it for several months now?

02:58As of me, to the best of my knowledge and ability, no.

03:04No.

03:05No?

03:06No one has spoken.

03:07But what is your view, Mr. Lad?

03:09Should Mr. Siddharam Mahia complete his five years term?

03:11He will turn 80 by the time the next elections are held in 2028?

03:18Or should a chance be given to a younger D.K.

03:21Shiv Kumar?

03:22Umar, therefore, is it time for a generational change in Karnataka?

03:29No, it will be very wrong on me taking sides.

03:35But due respect to both the leaders.

03:36But yes, all such decisions, who has to be, who has not to be, I will not go by any sides.

03:48Being, you know, as a congressman, already High Command has told that we should not pitch

03:53in, take sides, speak anything for or against publicly, so I will restrict myself.

03:58But any decision taken by High Command, you know, we have to agree by it and we have to

04:02abide by it.

04:03You know, Santosh Ladji, all congressmen keep using this word High Command.

04:08Please tell me, who is the High Command in the Congress at the moment?

04:12Is it Sonia Gandhi, who by all accounts is semi-retired?

04:16Is it Rahul Gandhi, who apparently doesn't want to take these organizational decisions?

04:20Is it Malik Arjun Karge, who is from Karnataka and Congress President?

04:24Who is the High Command who will take this decision?

04:27Kaun Banega Mukhyamantri, Mr. Lad?

04:31You know it, sir, you are pretty well into politics since from childhood I have been seeing you.

04:36So you know in and out much more than me in politics.

04:38But anyway, since you asked this question, Mr. Karge sahab and Rahul Gandhi ji and as

04:43well as Sonia ji and Priyanka Gandhi are High Command, but definitely all these people

04:47with across more serious leaders, they will sit and discuss on this and decide.

04:51You know, first of all, I, you know, if you have been seeing me doing politics in childhood,

04:55imagine how old I have become Mr. Lad.

04:57But tell me seriously, isn't this a problem that the Congress party doesn't have a system

05:03for resolving conflicts anymore? It almost seems as if the party resolves these problems

05:08only when the water reaches right up to your nose.

05:11I mean, everybody knew there was this talk, as I said, of two and a half years,

05:15two and a half years, rotational chief ministership.

05:17Should the Congress High Command not have stepped in earlier, call the two leaders,

05:21sorted it out rather than play this out in public?

05:24Suddenly the Congress is realizing these two leaders may need to be brought to Delhi to sort it out.

05:29Is it, has the Congress got its conflict management wrong?

05:36See, I think this was there, you know, this discussion was there quite long.

05:40We never knew, but last two months, you know, Rahul ji was busy and whole Congress party

05:44and high leaders were, all the top leaders was busy in BR elections.

05:48So, at this time, it has taken a peak now.

05:50So, how much ever you speak, it's, it's in the fag end now.

05:53So, we are going to close this chapter once for all, I think.

05:56So, Karage ji has already clarified that he's going to call both the leaders

06:00and, you know, we're going to set this motion going now.

06:05But sir, do you believe that whatever decision the High Command takes

06:08will be accepted by the party rank and file by the MLAs?

06:11We are told that Mr. Sidharamaya's supporters claim that a majority of the MLAs are with him.

06:16Will these MLAs object if the High Command tomorrow decides,

06:20no, we are now giving DK Shiv Kumar or someone else a chance.

06:23Will the MLAs abide by whatever decision the High Command takes or will they break away?

06:28See, Sidharamaya ji is our CLP leader and no doubt is, is one among the star world of Karnataka

06:37and the Chief Minister for the second term now.

06:39And if he is already publicly telling that I'll abide and whatever High Command says,

06:43then we all have to agree to it.

06:45Sir, you know, you said at the outset and were honest about it that what is going on is unfortunate.

06:53Do you concede that all of this is affecting your governance?

06:56Is it giving the BJP an advantage leading into the next Karnataka election?

07:00This is one of the few states which is still controlled by the Congress.

07:03The longer this continues, more advantage to the BJP. Do you concede that?

07:07To an extent, maybe once this whole episode is over and we'll be back and I'm sure BJP,

07:17you know, always it has whatever it has been claiming for or whatever they're blaming for.

07:22They don't have any other issues apart from that because last two and a half years

07:25we've been giving a very good government and all of our development programs

07:29and as well as five guarantees are really working well.

07:31You know, there's a hiccup here. I think we will overcome.

07:35But, you know, you're expressing confidence that all of this will be sorted out by in the next week or two.

07:41But what I am gathering is that the Chief Minister Siddharamaya wants to overtake Devraj Arz's record

07:48to become the longest serving Karnataka Chief Minister.

07:50That will only happen somewhere in the first week of January.

07:53There's the budget in February. He's the finance minister.

07:56Am I right that any decision now will only be taken after February

08:00or do you believe that one way or the other we will know what is the status of the Chief Minister in Karnataka by next week?

08:10I'm sure, because since already Karage ji has hinted this,

08:14maybe in a week or couple of weeks this will be sorted out.

08:17You know, you're giving me short answers, but is there any possibility of someone like Mr. Karage himself

08:23or some other third candidate emerging as a consensus if this battle between Siddharamaya and Shiv Kumar reaches point of no return, sir?

08:31I don't want to speculate, but all these things decisions will be made and I come only, sir, Radhim.

08:41But I can see Mr. Lad, you don't want to take sides, but if you were pushed into a corner, who do you want?

08:48Shiv Kumar or Shiv Kumar or Siddharamaya? If you had a choice, who is your preference?

08:53No, I can make, no, that's what, you know, it's very easy to answer for me.

09:01If you're not on the record, I would have answered it.

09:03But honestly, since being a discipline of a Congress party, since we have been told not to speak on the sides,

09:10because ultimately parties, you know, one, you know, there is a small difference here and there.

09:15We'll set it out, but I don't want to take a side.

09:17But off the record, you would have asked me, I would have told, Radhim.

09:21Sir, you know, everybody tells me, Mr. Lad, that you are a Siddharamaya loyalist.

09:26Is that true or not?

09:30I am.

09:33Yes, he's my godfather, so obviously I look him up as a father.

09:36From long assertion, I have got with him.

09:40Okay, you're a Siddharamaya loyalist.

09:42I think I'm going to leave it at that, because that's the closest I'm going to get you to make some kind of a commitment.

09:47What you're saying is it's unfortunate.

09:49It will be sorted out within a week or two by your high command.

09:52And we'll wait and see how that plays out.

09:55But for now, it's not easy to get a Congress Minister at the moment to speak in Karnataka.

10:00Coming on record, Santosh Lad, thank you very much for joining me here on the show tonight.

10:05Thank you very much for joining me here.

10:06Thank you very much.

Santosh Lad says Karnataka Congress issue will be resolved in a week or two

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