"Focus On...": Congress Chief On 3 Karnataka Deputy Chief Ministers Demand

Amid demands by some ministers that three deputy chief ministers should be appointed in Karnataka, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said such demands should not arise when elections are around the corner.

Denying that he has received any such demand yet, Kharge said the party leaders should focus on addressing the problem of people.

When asked about the demand for three deputy chief ministers in the state, Kharge said, "Ask Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar." Stating that the matter should first come to him for consideration, the Congress president said it has not yet been brought to him.

In a rebuke of the leaders raising the demand, Mr Kharge said, "Such speculations should not be brought during elections. We should focus on the functioning of the government, people's problems and the implementation of the guarantees." He said Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have been working towards achieving these goals.

"Till we achieve our goals, we should not talk about such things," Kharge added.

Recently Karnataka Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna raised the demand for appointing three deputy chief ministers in the state saying it would help the Congress win maximum seats in the Lok Sabha elections.

He even cited the example of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan where there is more than one deputy chief minister

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