Bengaluru, April 3 (IANS) Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara maintained on Thursday that there was no difference of opinion between him and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

Speaking to the media in Bengaluru on Thursday, HM Parameshwara touched on the issue of leadership change in the state unit of the Congress and stated, “Some leaders believe the State Congress President should change, while others think Shivakumar should continue. When I was the State President, a similar situation existed. The high command consulted party leaders and allowed me to continue for a second term.”

Responding to a question about whether differences between him and Shivakumar were growing, he said, “There is no difference of opinion between me and State President and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar. I can meet him at his residence, and there is no problem between us. We are very good friends.”

Regarding internal conflicts within the state Congress party, Parameshwara said, “I have no knowledge of any internal disputes. This is a narrative created by the media. We, in the Congress party, are in power and delivering programmes. Small differences of opinion are natural, but they do not amount to internal conflicts.”

When asked about his absence from the Karnataka Bhavan inauguration event in New Delhi and the Siddaganga Mutt event in his hometown Tumakuru, Parameshwara responded, “I was the one who laid the foundation stone for the Karnataka Bhavan building, which was inaugurated by CM Siddaramaiah. At the time, I was serving as Deputy CM. For various reasons, I was not invited to the event.”

“Without an invitation, how am I supposed to attend the event by traveling all the way to New Delhi?” he questioned.

“In this context, I did not attend the event. I believe it was not significant since the CM, Dy CM, and PWD Minister were present. CM Siddaramaiah represents the entire Cabinet, and there was no necessity for my individual presence,” he added.

Speaking about the Siddaganga Mutt event, he said, “My family shares a good relationship with the Siddaganga Mutt. My father had a close bond with the late Shivakumar Swamiji. I was busy at the time of the event. I will visit the mutt whenever I feel like it.”

Commenting on the honey trap case involving Minister for Cooperation K.N. Rajanna, Parameshwara stated that no conclusions could be drawn until the investigation was completed.

“At this stage, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the honey trap case and the alleged attempt-to-murder case filed by Minister Rajanna’s MLC son, Rajendra Rajanna,” he said.

When asked whether Minister Rajanna had remained silent on the honey trap case due to internal party pressure, Parameshwara denied the claim, saying, “There is nothing of that sort.”

Regarding the successful passage of the Waqf Bill in Parliament, he stated, “Despite opposition, 288 members of the Lok Sabha voted in favour of the Waqf Bill, and it was passed in the early hours of the morning. Along with the Muslim community, various other groups believe that the Waqf Bill is being used as a political tool. Now that it has been passed, we must wait and see what happens next.”

Addressing the demand for revoking the suspension of 18 BJP MLAs, Parameshwara said, “The matter is at the discretion of the Speaker. The government has no role in it. The Speaker was elected unanimously and cannot act on behalf of any particular party. When BJP MLAs created a ruckus and threw torn papers at him, no Speaker would remain silent without taking action.”

“Before making a decision, he examined all the rules and facts. The entire episode lasted about three hours, during which the Speaker repeatedly urged the MLAs to maintain order. However, the BJP MLAs ignored his requests,” he explained.

“If legislators do not respect the Speaker, there are rules in place to address such behaviour. These rules were established by elected representatives. In this situation, the matter is between the Speaker and the suspended MLAs. The state government has no role in it,” he maintained.

When asked about the BJP’s protest over rising prices in the state, Parameshwara explained, “Price increases depend on our policies. When the central government raises taxes, states are inevitably forced to adjust their tax slabs accordingly. If the Centre keeps taxation under control, states will benefit.”

He further added, “We should receive a fair share of the taxes collected by the Centre. If states are denied their rightful share, they must generate revenue on their own, which naturally leads to price hikes. The only way to control this is for the Centre to manage taxation effectively.”

--IANS

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