Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 6 : Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday clarified the confusion surrounding his appointment as the chairman of the All India Congress Committee's (AICC) Other Backward Classes (OBC) Advisory Council.
According to Siddaramaiah, he is yet to receive official confirmation about his appointment.
Earlier, he refuted any claims of being appointed the chairman of the AICC's Backward Classes Advisory Committee, saying that he will only host the meeting in Karnataka.
However, the Congress leader said that if orders are given to him by the party's high command, he would readily accept the responsibility.
"I have been appointed as a member of the AICC Backward Classes Advisory Committee. The media has misinterpreted this and reported that I have been appointed as the chairman of the committee. This is incorrect information," he said in a post on X.
https://x.com/siddaramaiah/status/1941808112068870273
"The Advisory Committee meeting will be held under the chairmanship of Dr. Anil Jaihind, the president of the AICC Backward Classes Department, on July 15 at the Bharat Jodo Bhavan, KPCC office in Bengaluru. I am hosting this meeting, which will be attended by 50 people, including former chief ministers of the Congress Party from various states, current and former MPs, and MLAs," his post added.
Later on in Hubballi, during an interaction with journalists, the Karnataka CM said that he is going to hold talks with the party's high command regarding his responsibility in the committee.
"I will talk to the High Command today. They said to hold a meeting in Karnataka. I will hold a meeting. I don't know why I was made the Chairman. They have announced. Will you run away if given responsibility?" he said.
The news of Siddaramaiah's appointment comes amid Bharatiya Janata Party claiming that Karnataka will have a change in the CM's face, with state LoP R Ashoka claiming that the Congress leader will be leaving for Delhi, leaving the CM's chair vacant.
"Siddaramaiah has been nominated as the president of the AICC OBC Advisory Board. That means Siddaramaiah's gate pass is guaranteed. He is 100% going to Delhi in October or November. So, here, the CM will change. What I have known for the last six months is now proven," Karnataka Assembly's Leader of Opposition (LoP) R Ashoka told ANI.
Earlier on June 9, AICC's OBC department Chairman Anil Jaihind recommended a list of 25 names for the Advisory Council for the party's OBC department. The list includes multiple veteran Congress leaders, and Karnataka ministers.
Apart from Siddaramaiah, BK Hariprasad, Ashok Ghelot, Bhupesh Baghel, V Narayanswamy, Sachin Pilot, Gurdeep Singh Sappal, Arun Yadav, Vijay Namdebrao Wadettiwar, V Hanumantha Rao, Amit Chavda, Mahesh Kumar Goud, Ponnam Prabhakar, M Veerappa Molly, S Jothimani, Srikant Jena, Kamleshwar Patel, Ajay Kumar Lallu, Subhashini Yadav, Adoor Prakash, Dhanednra Sahu, Hina Kaware are in the committee, with Jitender Baghel being the council's Secretary.