00:00I want to go to Santosh Laat, Labour Minister in the Karnataka government scene as part of the young guard
00:06of the government.
00:08Santosh Laat, it appears that an era is coming to an end.
00:12Siddharamaya, longest serving Chief Minister of Karnataka.
00:15Is this a decision that you and other MLAs are comfortable with?
00:23Honestly, no. Comfortable is not the case.
00:26But if the decision is taken from the highest quarters, from the Rawal Gandhiji and as well as the high
00:32command.
00:33And CM always consistently said that if high command says, Mr. Rawal Gandhi says, that he will step down.
00:39It's a very emotional time and every end has got a bad feeling.
00:45But that's fair enough. That's how the life is all about.
00:49Just give us a sense of why you believe the high command did...
00:55Why do you believe they chose this moment?
00:57Do you believe that with election just two years to go, that this change of guard will galvanize your party
01:05or not?
01:10No, because we sat with the CM and we tried to speak to him and he did not speak anything
01:16much about it.
01:17But this political decision is taken once by the high command.
01:21So we all have to abide by it.
01:23And definitely there is a lot of pros and cons which you have to talk about.
01:26But whenever such decision is taken by a party, we as a party man, as a congress, honest, we can
01:32call them as a worker or what you call as a leader.
01:34We all have to come together and see to that that whatever decision is taken by the party and we
01:40all have to honor it and stand in unity.
01:43But will it be a smooth transition?
01:45Because over the last one year, we've seen this constant speculation over whether D.K. Shivkumar will take over two
01:52and a half years, two and a half years, rotational chief ministership.
01:55Many believe that has affected administration governance.
01:58Do you believe whatever decision is taken as to who is to succeed, Mr. Siddharamaya, with Shivkumar being the front
02:05runner, will it be a smooth transition now?
02:12Yes, transition looks smooth, but obviously there will be some tooting point, obviously.
02:17That's how the politics is all about.
02:19We have to reset.
02:20We have to pull up our socks and work together.
02:22That's how I feel in future is to see by.
02:25And what happens to Mr. Siddharamaya?
02:27You all spoke to him.
02:28You all met him.
02:29Is he ready to retire?
02:30Does he want to come to Delhi, become part of Rajasabha as Rahul Gandhi has offered him, become an OBC
02:36face nationally?
02:37Or what are you picking up when you met Mr. Siddharamaya?
02:40Did he reveal what he wants to do next?
02:47No, we were there when I was there.
02:49We spent almost five, six hours there with him from morning till afternoon, late afternoon we were there.
02:54So he kept on listening to everybody.
02:57A lot of people coming there, throwing the emotions, showing the emotions.
03:00He did not respond to anybody and he said, tomorrow I am going to speak.
03:05That's what he said.
03:07And tomorrow he has called, especially for all the cabinet ministers, he has called tomorrow morning for 9 a.m.
03:11at breakfast.
03:12I think he is going to speak there.
03:14You know, DK Shivkumar is also someone you know well.
03:17He is the Karnataka Congress President.
03:20You are also seen as part of the younger guard in a way of the party.
03:24This could be a generational change from a 78-year-old Siddharamaya to a 60-plus DK Shivkumar.
03:29Will you be comfortable working with a DK Shivkumar?
03:33Is the Congress going to unite for once in Karnataka, given the big challenge that you face just two years
03:38from now from the BJP?
03:45Yeah, working with anybody is a must.
03:46That's how we are all and we are all the congressmen.
03:49And once any high command takes a decision, we have to fall in the line.
03:53And obviously, yes, he is still an youngster and he has got a lot of energy.
03:56And the party has given him an opportunity.
04:00And I think that with his energy and if he is able to pull up everybody, all youngsters and seniors
04:05together, yes, definitely we can try.
04:08Because the BJP seems to believe that there is high anti-incumbency against your government in Karnataka.
04:13They are banking on it.
04:15This is one of the few states where the Congress has had a strong organization.
04:19Do you believe that it's going to be very difficult now for whoever takes over, whether it's Mr. Shivkumar or
04:26anyone else from Siddharamaya with just two years left?
04:29Series of elections also coming up to local bodies, Bangalore municipality.
04:33Will it be possible for your party to arrest anti-incumbency and actually have a chance in 2028?
04:43We have got a good chance, you know, even though people speak about anti-incumbency, only hope that Dhanesh Kumar
04:49does not support them.
04:50He does not become a man of the match and man of the series in Karnataka.
04:53But however, all said and done with all those, you know, whatever election commissioner, you know, favors them.
04:58But believe me, in Karnataka, last three years, whatever programs we have given, it has been a great handy to
05:03the common man and especially for the poor class people here.
05:06And if you ask me, yes, there is a challenge and there's always a saying that necessity is the mother
05:12of all invention.
05:13With challenges, I think always you have to invent the things the way it has to run forward.
05:18And yes, we all together as congressmen and all the leaders and karykartas, if you really put a fight, I'm
05:25sure that we will come back to power again in 2028.
05:27Are you expecting continuity or a lot of change?
05:30Obviously, Mr. D.K. Shiv Kumar will want his own cabinet, his own people.
05:35Is your party so deeply divided into camps in Karnataka?
05:39Will you all be able to, do you expect a lot of new faces now to emerge?
05:44Or will we see the same, will we see a strong element of continuity?
05:49The leader is being changed.
05:51Will your cabinet also see a lot of changes?
05:57Obviously, there will be some changes, so not the entire, maybe 40% or 30%, it depends on the high
06:03command.
06:04If they are going on a merit, they will definitely see who has done what work.
06:07And based on that and obviously party equations and they will take a call and whatever call is taken by
06:14the party, we have to abide by it.
06:16You know, one final word from you.
06:18You, as I said, you've known Mr. Siddharamaya well.
06:21What, according to you, was the one, you know, longest serving chief minister of Karnataka?
06:27Not easy in a state like yours to be there as long as he is.
06:29What was that one characteristic that defined Siddharamaya for you?
06:33What was the quality he had that enabled him to survive for so long?
06:42I feel he always very ideologically, he was a very strong and a very socialist thought of a person.
06:49And he always, you know, one thing about Mr. Siddharamaya, if I have to tell, because last 30 years I
06:54always see him as, I always consider him as my father figure.
06:56And I always keep saying I am an emotional son to him.
06:59But he is a very downtrodden man, connected with masses until today also in Karnataka.
07:04He is the most popular leader, hands down, no doubt about it.
07:09And he is still connected to the farmers.
07:12He is the one leader who is connected to the all masses in Karnataka.
07:16But, you know, if he is such a popular leader, so connected to the masses, why remove him?
07:21Why was he removed? Have you got any indication?
07:24Have any of you, was it this two and a half year, two and a half year rotational formula that
07:28was brought in?
07:29What is the reason that he was removed if he is so popular?
07:37Okay, the lines got disconnected on that point.
07:40I am going to leave it there.
07:41Santosh Laat, one of the few ministers in the Karnataka government who is willing to come out and speak on
07:46that transition that has taken place in Karnataka.
07:49We will, of course, wait and see how that transition actually carries on on the ground,
07:55given the fact that there have been so many past animosities that have existed between the two leaders.
08:01But will they work together is the big challenge the Congress has in Karnataka.
08:07Karnatakao!
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