New Delhi [India], August 17 : The Karnataka Congress Disciplinary Committee has issued a notice to party MLA Basavaraju V Shivaganga to file a reply within seven days of the receipt of this notice for his statements made to the media regarding the change of Chief Minister in the state.
"These statements have not only caused embarrassment to the party but also violated party discipline. You are directed to file a reply within seven days of the receipt of this notice," Karnataka Congress Disciplinary Committee said.
Earlier last month, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah dismissed speculation about a change in the state's leadership, asserting that there has been no discussion with the Congress high command about the change.
Speaking at a media conference at Karnataka Bhavan, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah asserted that the issue of change of Chief Ministers is a creation of the media, and there is no room for speculation.
"The state Congress in charge has dismissed the question of a change in the Chief Minister, saying that there is no room for speculation on this issue. These speculations are created by the media, and there has been no discussion on the change of the Chief Minister in the Congress circle.", CM said.
"The Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister have given a clear instruction that the party high command's decision on this issue should be agreed upon, and we have both stated many times that we will abide by the high command's decision. It is natural that the issue of transfer of power should arise when the government has been in power for two and a half years. But there is no agreement on this," he added.
Recently, after making it clear that Siddaramaiah "will continue as the CM for five years", he questioned why such rumours are being spread in the media, and said that Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar himself had said that the post of Chief Minister is not vacant.
Reacting to some Congress MLAs expressing their opinion on the change of Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah said that some MLAs are expressing their personal opinions; this is not the decision of the party. "The speculation of the handover of power does not make any sense," he said.