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Karnataka Power Tussle: Amid the ongoing political tug-of-war over the leadership change in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said he had invited his deputy, DK Shivakumar, for a meeting over breakfast on November, 29 to discuss the heightened row over the CM post. The chief minister also stated that he would go to Delhi if the Congress high command called him.

This follows the Congress high command's first formal attempt to defuse the leadership crisis in Karnataka, in which they asked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president D K Shivakumar to meet and report the outcome to the central leadership, party sources told the news agency IANS on Friday.

Accordingly, Siddaramaiah has invited Shivakumar for a breakfast meeting at 9:30 am on Saturday, Nov 29, and has cleared his schedule for the day, officials said.

Shivakumar had not responded to the invitation immediately, sources added. AICC general secretary and MP K C Venugopal has spoken to both leaders and urged them to resolve the matter between themselves and inform the high command of their decision.

Party sources said that if the bilateral meeting succeeds, a planned joint visit to Delhi to seek a central resolution will be called off, sparing the party further embarrassment. However, if no understanding is reached, national leaders are likely to summon both to Delhi on Sunday, November 30, the sources said.

Siddaramaiah confirmed the development to the media in Bengaluru, saying he had invited Shivakumar for a breakfast meeting at the direction of the high command.

Speaking to reporters, Siddaramaiah said, "The party high command had called both of us me and him (D K Shivakumar) and asked us to have a meeting. Hence, I have invited him for breakfast tomorrow. We will discuss when he arrives," Siddaramaiah said. "There is no change in my stance; I have said I will listen to whatever the high command says. Both of us have stated that we will obey whatever the party high command decides," he added.

The Chief Minister reiterated that his position on the leadership question remains unchanged. "I have already stated that I will abide by the decision of the high command. I am committed to that statement today and will be committed to it tomorrow as well," Siddaramaiah said.

Earlier, Siddaramaiah attempted to show unity within his government by sharing pictures with his deputy, D K Shivakumar, on X (formerly Twitter). The timing of these pictures is significant, given the ongoing buzz about the tussle between the two over the chief minister’s post and talks surrounding a potential leadership change in Karnataka.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had said both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar would be summoned to the national leadership in Delhi to settle the issue.

On the other hand, Shivakumar also tried to ease the situation, stating that he did not want anything and would accept whatever decision his party made.

He said, "I will definitely go to Delhi. It is our temple. Congress has a long history, and Delhi will always guide us. When they call me, along with the party leaders and the CM, we will go there... My community is the Congress. I may belong to one community, and they may appreciate that, but my love is for all sections of society... I do not want anything; my party will make the decision."

Meanwhile, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge today asserted that the Congress high command had the sense of timing required to resolve the intensifying "power tussle". He added that the 130-year-old party would intervene at the appropriate time.

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What Is Karnataka Power Tussle?

The power tussle between two prominent Karnataka Congress leaders Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy, D K Shivakumar has drawn massive attention. Following the declaration of the Assembly election results on 20 May 2023, there was intense competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the chief minister's post. The speculation surrounding a potential leadership change was so strong that AICC General Secretary in charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, had to intervene on Friday, issuing a stern warning to party MLAs and leaders against making any public statements on the leadership issue.

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The controversy over a potential leadership change has flared up once again after a state minister and several MLAs loyal to Shivakumar travelled to New Delhi, where they met the Congress high command, signalling an escalating power struggle within the ruling party.

The tussle began after Siddaramaiah completed two-and-a-half years in office. At that point, the Congress had managed to convince Shivakumar to accept the position of deputy chief minister. There were reports suggesting that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational chief minister formula," under which Shivakumar would become the chief minister after two-and-a-half years. However, these reports have not been officially confirmed by the party.

( With inputs from Agencies )

 

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