Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence in Bengaluru, triggering speculation that the meeting was linked to the ongoing power tussle in the state over the chief minister's post.
The power tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculations about a change in chief minister in the state, after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20.
Nothing political: Shivakumar on meeting with Kharge
However, speaking to reporters after the meeting, Shivakumar dismissed the speculation, saying no political matters were discussed. He said he had only shared his views, in his capacity as the state Congress unit chief, on the law enacted by the Centre to replace the MGNREGA scheme, ahead of the Congress Working Committee meeting scheduled for December 27.
He said he has not discussed any other issue with Kharge. "There is no need to do it, I will not do it, there is no such thing for now. Siddaramaiah and I have said that we will work abiding by the high command's decision, and we are committed to it."
Responding to a question on his statement that he will remain a party worker, Shivakumar said that what he meant was being a lifetime member of the party and serving the organisation, irrespective of the post or the position he holds.
"I'm a lifetime worker of the party. Whatever the post may be, I'm a worker of the party. I have tied the party flag, both as a party worker and President. I have pasted party posters, and I have done the sweeping work. I have done all things for the Congress party. I have not come just to sit and make speeches on the stage. I have done all the work for the party," he said.
When asked when he would get a reward for his hard work, he said, "I won't answer such things."
'Confusion at state level': Kharge
The meeting with the AICC chief has assumed significance as Kharge had said on Sunday that any confusion over the leadership issue in the Congress’s Karnataka unit exists only at the local level and not within the party's high command.
Kharge said the local leaders should take ownership of the internal disputes rather than blaming the high command. "The high command hasn't created any confusion. It exists at the local level. How is it right to put the blame on the high command?" Kharge said while speaking to reporters in Kalaburagi, according to the PTI news agency.
Asked about Kharge's statement, Shivakumar said, "As a senior leader, he has given his guidance."
Kharge's statement had come at a time when it was widely expected in the Congress and the political circles that the party high command would call both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to Delhi, to put an end to the leadership issue in the state, after the legislature session concluded on December 19.
Karnataka leadership tussle
Notably, Congress has been witnessing a tug of war for power between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the last few months. Several Congress MLAs reached Delhi seeking a change in leadership as the government completed half its tenure.
Speculation over leadership change intensified last month after the Congress government crossed the halfway mark of its term. This coincided with renewed chatter about an alleged 2023 “power-sharing agreement,” under which Shivakumar was expected by some party workers to take over as Chief Minister for the latter half of the five-year term.
Amid the leadership issue, Siddaramaiah, on December 19, had asserted on the floor of the Assembly that he would continue in office. He had also said that the Congress high command was "in my favour" and asserted that no decision was made on his staying at the helm for only two-and-a-half years.
Reacting to which, Shivakumar had said that he and CM Siddaramaiah have come to an agreement with the involvement of the Congress high command, and both of them will abide by it.
Also Read: 'Confusion at state level': Kharge on power tussle between Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar
Also Read: 'Will continue as CM': Siddaramaiah denies power-sharing deal with Shivakumar amid leadership row
