Siddaramaiah thanks Karnataka in emotional post after resigning as CM
Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Thursday shared an emotional message thanking the people of Karnataka for their love and support during his tenure as chief minister, after resigning from the post.
Siddaramaiah shared on X a photograph of himself standing on a stage with folded hands before a gathering in a gesture of gratitude. He wrote, “Thank you. Your love. Your trust. My forever strength.” The message appeared on the photograph carrying his signature.
Thanking the people for standing by him during difficult times, Siddaramaiah said in the post: “I bow my head before the people of Karnataka-the lakhs of affectionate hearts who treated me as one among their own, blessed me, encouraged me, corrected me, stood by me in difficult times and held my hand throughout this long journey. Whatever I am today is because of you.”
Stating that the Constitution was his religion and the people his God, Siddaramaiah said his resignation was only from the post of chief minister and not from public life or his commitment to the people.
“Till my last breath, I will continue to fight for social justice and stand against divisive communal forces that go against the spirit of our Constitution. Thank you for your love, trust and companionship through every step of this journey,” he added.
Siddaramaiah resigned as Karnataka chief minister, two days after the Congress high command asked him to step down.
Flanked by his deputy and successor, DK Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah addressed a packed press conference shortly after submitting his resignation to the Governor’s Special Secretary at Lok Bhavan here.
Special Secretary Prabhu Shankar received the resignation as Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot was out of the state.
“I have tendered my resignation from the post of chief minister,” Siddaramaiah told reporters, expressing confidence that the Governor would accept it in accordance with constitutional provisions.
Siddaramaiah had made it clear time and again that he would resign whenever the high command instructed him to do so.
There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, who is also the party state president, for the coveted chief minister’s post after Congress won the May 2023 Assembly election.
The party then managed to convince Shivakumar and made him the deputy CM.
Reports at the time suggested a compromise based on a “rotational chief minister formula,” under which Shivakumar would become CM after two-and-a-half years, but there was no official confirmation from the party or the two leaders.
Earlier in the day, at a breakfast hosted at his residence for cabinet colleagues, Siddaramaiah informed ministers of his decision to step down and that Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar would be his successor, as per the directions of the Congress high command.
