Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar’s meeting with the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, in Mysore has once again reignited the issue of the leadership tussle in the South Indian state.
According to reports, the issue was brought up during the meeting with Siddaramaiah in particular urging Gandhi to clear the air over the confusion surrounding his future as the state’s chief minister.
After the meeting, Congress MLA Ashok Pattan claimed that Rahul Gandhi had invited both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to Delhi. He, however, didn’t elaborate on when they were called.
Shivakumar, while speaking to reporters on Wednesday, sought to dismiss Pattan’s claim, saying there was no such message from the Congress leader.
He said that everything that was discussed during the meeting cannot be revealed and asserted that the media is creating an issue unnecessarily.
“I’m the (Karnataka) Congress president, and he’s (Rahul Gandhi) the Leader of the Opposition. We cannot tell you everything we discuss. You are unnecessarily creating issues by speculating about what was spoken. There was no message from him. He has told us to do good work. We informed him about the MNREGA issue and the plan to take it up,” he said.
Earlier on Monday, Shivakumar was seen interacting with Rahul Gandhi at Mysore airport in private. This came after he met Gandhi with Siddaramaiah.
What fueled the ongoing power tussle in Karnataka?
When the Congress won the 2023 Assembly elections in Karnataka, the Siddaramaiah-Shivakumar duo were the contenders for the CM post.
Although the Congress went with Siddaramaiah to lead the state, there were reports of a power-sharing formula that the party apparently reached to pacify Shivakumar.
As per the purported formula, Siddaramaiah would lead the state for the first 2.5 years, and then Shivakumar would take over. However, neither the Congress nor the two leaders publicly confirmed any such agreement.
With Siddaramaiah having already completed his 2.5 years, speculation about a leadership change in Karnataka has intensified.
The Karnataka CM, however, has maintained that he will complete his full five-year term, while loyalists of Shivakumar have also reportedly been pushing for his elevation.