Their joint appearance came a day after they exchanged veiled remarks amid reports of a simmering internal power tussle between the top two Congress leaders in Karnataka.
Amidst heightened speculation over a power tussle in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar on Friday shared the dais at a government event in Bengaluru.
Images shared by the Congress party on X show both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar standing side by side on the stage. Together, they also paid tributes to former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.
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Ministers Ishwar Khandre, H.C. Mahadevappa, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, K.H. Muniyappa, CM Political Secretary Naseer Ahmed, Chairman of the Guarantee Schemes Implementation Committee H.M. Revanna, former Union Minister Margaret Alva, former state ministers Motamma, Jayamala, and Rani Satish also accomapnied them during the event.
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They were attending the Golden Jubilee programme of the inauguration of comprehensive child development services and anganwadi centres, which was held at the Bengaluru Palace Grounds.
Their joint appearance came a day after they exchanged veiled remarks amid reports of a simmering internal power tussle between the top two Congress leaders in Karnataka.
On Thursday, DK posted a message on X that was seen as a pointed reference to the unofficial power-sharing formula the Congress party supposedly reached in 2023.
As per the purported arrangement, Siddaramaiah would rule the state for 2.5 years and DK would replace him for the rest of the five-year term.
While the agreement was never made official by the Congress party, DK apparently reminded it to the party high-command, saying, “Word power is the world power.”
In an indirect response, Siddaramaiah said, “A Word is not power unless it betters the World for the people.”
Sensing the escalating rift between the two leaders, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge intervened, saying the high command will make a decision.
“I will call everyone and have a discussion. Rahul Gandhi will also remain present in that discussion. Other members will also remain present. CM and Dy CM will also remain present. The decision will be made after a discussion with all of these. There is a team. I am not alone. The entire high command team will discuss and make a decision,” he told reporters.
Following Kharge’s public statement, DK Shivakumar also sought to downplay the chatter, saying he is neither seeking the chief minister’s post nor pushing any community-driven agenda.
Responding to his meeting with Vokkaliga spiritual leader Nanjavadutha Swamiji, Shivakumar said the Congress is his community, and all sections of the society are equal for him.
“I don’t want anything. I am not hurrying anything. My party will make the decision. I don’t want any community angle. Congress is my community, and my love is for all sections of society,” he said.
Both leaders have reportedly been called to Delhi, where the central leadership of the Congress party will hold a meeting to resolve the issue.
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