Setting aside political differences, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K.S. Eshwarappa on Thursday visited former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at the hospital, where the latter is recuperating after an angioplasty, on Wednesday.
Mr. Eshwarappa and Mr. Siddaramaiah, who otherwise lock horns in bitter political arguments, engaged in a jovial conversation. When Mr. Eshwarappa said, “It’s now guaranteed that you have a heart”, Mr. Siddaramaiah laughed and asked, “You thought I did not?” and went on ask if Mr. Eshwarappa had studied any anatomy at all.
Several leaders cutting across party lines wished Mr. Siddaramaiah a speedy recovery. JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy tweeted wishing him good health.
Mr. Siddaramaiah, speaking to presspersons at the hospital on Thursday, appealed to his supporters to refrain from visiting him. “I am totally fit. Doctors have advised me to rest for two more days, after which I will be discharged. Do not worry about my health,” he said.
Resignation
Meanwhile, even as the resignation of Mr. Siddaramaiah and Dinesh Gundu Rao is yet to be accepted by the high command, there is a divided opinion among Congress leaders about new leadership. While some leaders want Mr. Siddaramaiah to continue in the post of CLP leader and the KPCC totally revamped, some others want both Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Rao to withdraw their resignations. On Thursday, senior leaders G. Parameshwara, R.V. Deshpande and B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan said they were persuading Mr. Siddaramaiah to withdraw his resignation.
