Siddaramaiah on way out in Karnataka owing to graft

Wherever the Congress is in power, there is trouble brewing. After Arunachal and Uttarakhand, trouble is brewing in Karnataka, putting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the hot seat there. Siddaramaiah is facing allegations of cornering contracts for his son on the one hand and making improper land allotments on the other. Against this background, there is a growing demand for a change in the State leadership. Former Union Minister S.M. Krishna met Congress president Sonia Gandhi last week in this regard. He is stated to have assured Congress president that he would ensure the party would win in the next poll by energising it and also funds for the party coffers. The Congress is starved of funds after losing moneyspinner combined AP. There is also a demand that the Dalit leader and Home Minister Parameshwara should replace Siddaramiah because of the considerable Dalit populatioon in the State. The party could benefit from the clean image of Parameshwara, it is argued. He also met Sonia Gandhi last week. It is argued that reverberations in the Congress are more due to former Chief Minister Yedyurappa leading the BJP in the State. Yedyurappa, belonging to the majority Lingayats, is already seen as relegating the Congress to the second position in the State. Yedyurappa, like Siddaramaiah, faced same allegations of allotting lands to fmaily members and so on. Siddaramaiah became further controversial becasue of sporting a costly watch, given to him as a gift, which he had to refrain from wearing. Congress circles are expecting a change in the State leadership in May.