Mysuru: Making no secret of his intention to become the Chief Minister, senior Congress MLA R.V. Deshpande yesterday said that he was willing to become the Chief Minister if the current CM Siddaramaiah permits.

Speaking to presspersons at Ramakrishna Ashram on KRS Road here, Deshpande, who also heads the Administrative Reforms Commission, said that he was two years elder than Siddaramaiah.

Pointing out that though the High Command was willing, the permission of Siddaramaiah matters most, he observed that he would become the CM if Siddaramaiah steps down voluntarily.

Noting that he was tired of functioning as a Minister, Deshpande said that his only ambition  now is to become the CM of the State. Maintaining that even the people of Karnataka want to see him as the CM, he said that, however, Siddaramaiah would complete his term as the CM.

“No discussions have taken place in the Congress High Command on replacing Siddaramaiah. The meeting  between Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwar and PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi  was limited to departmental talks and there need not be any speculations in this regard,” he said.

Admitting that Karnataka was facing financial burden due to guarantee schemes, he said the schemes needed about Rs.60,000 crore a year, which is a huge burden on State exchequer.

However, the State Government is working on plans to generate revenues for funding the schemes, he said adding that the rise in prices of essential commodities was not due to guarantee schemes. He charged the Union Government of failing to rein in rising inflation.

Commenting on the Opposition demands for the resignation of CM Siddaramaiah for MUDA scam, Deshpande recalled that Ramakrishna Hegde had resigned as the CM nearly four decades ago, soon after he was accused of phone tapping.

Pointing out that Hegde always spoke about value-based politics, the senior Congress leader said that Hegde lived up to his words by quitting as the CM.

Asserting that Siddaramaiah had done nothing wrong in the MUDA row, Deshpande said that he himself would write to the Government demanding a probe if the charges against him are proved with supporting documents.