Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday exuded confidence that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi would become the Prime Minister in 2029, asserting that the country was yearning for a “change”. Speaking at the India Today South Conclave, Shivakumar also emphasised that the Congress would retain Karnataka in the 2028 Assembly polls, in a departure from the revolving door politics in the state.
“I am very confident that Rahul Gandhi will be the next Prime Minister of this country in 2029. The country needs a change. You don’t have any friends around this country,” the senior Congress leader said, taking a swipe at the BJP over India’s downturn in relations with its neighbours like Bangladesh.
Last month, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav pledged to back Rahul Gandhi as the next prime minister in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
ON CHIEF MINISTER POST
Amid renewed speculation of a leadership change in Karnataka this year, Shivakumar vehemently dismissed the rumours but, in a cryptic message, underscored that “there is no life without hope”.
“Everyone in the world lives on hope. Without hope, there is no life,” Shivakumar said when asked if he aspired to become the chief minister. The Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka government completes 2.5 years in November.
“The Chief Minister post is not important. I don’t want to be selfish. Hard work will definitely pay,” he further said.
The Congress leadership has so far maintained silence on the issue, urging both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to stay united.
“We go by the directions of the party high command. Whatever they decide, we work according to that. Giving Karnataka good governance is the goal. It is the unity that brought us to power,” Shivakumar, who is in charge of water resources as well as Bengaluru development and town planning, said.
ON RSS ANTHEM ROW
On the controversy over his recitation of the RSS anthem in the state Assembly, Shivakumar said he was trying to “pull the BJP’s leg” and asserted his loyalty to the Gandhi family.
“I was born Congressman, and will die as Congressman. The BJP does not have any ideology. My loyalty to the Gandhi family is different. The Gandhi family has kept the party and country united,” he underscored.
Shivakumar took everyone by surprise last month by singing the RSS anthem during a discussion in the Assembly on the stampede near Chinnaswamy stadium. It had sparked rumours that he might switch sides.
ON BENGALURU’S POTHOLE PROBLEM
The Karnataka minister also spoke at length about Bengaluru’s pothole woes and his plans on making it a “world-class city” despite financial constraints. He also announced that a Bengaluru business corridor of 100 km would be completed in the next 7-8 months.
Shivakumar said that white-topping of the roads in Bengaluru was being done to make them long-lasting and less prone to damage.
White-topping is a process where the normal asphalt roads are cleared and are given a layer of concrete on top.
“The process has been completed on 300 km of road. We cleared 5,000 potholes last month. Still, more than 5,000 are there. Bengaluru is not a planned city like New Delhi. It is not a one-day solution,” he said.
