Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has suggested Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to consider moving to the Rajya Sabha amid fresh political buzz over the change of leadership in the state, sources said on Tuesday.
However, the Karnataka chief minister reportedly told Rahul that he has no ambition to enter national politics. Sources said Siddaramaiah has sought time to think over the proposal.
Will step down if Rahul Gandhi asks: Siddaramaiah
Siddaramaiah also reportedly told KC Venugopal, Mallikarjun Kharge and Randeep Surjewala that he had no knowledge of any "two-and-a-half year formula" regarding a leadership change in the state. According to sources, Siddaramaiah also said that he would step down if Rahul Gandhi asked him to do so.
This comes as CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar met the Congress high command in Delhi for a high-level meeting, which the party said revolved around talks only on the Rajya Sabha polls, but political buzz grew louder over Siddaramaiah continuing as the chief minister and whether Shivakumar would take on the chair.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, General Secretary KC Venugopal and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala were among others present in the meeting.
Amid the buzz over a possible power transition in the state, the Congress leadership moved quickly to dismiss the speculation. Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal denied reports of any discussion on leadership change and said the meeting focused only on the upcoming Rajya Sabha and Karnataka Legislative Council elections.
Congress in damage control? Leadership change buzz downplayed
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal dismissed speculation about a possible leadership change in Karnataka, saying there was no truth to such reports.
He said the discussions held with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi were focused entirely on the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and Karnataka Legislative Council polls. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Karnataka in charge Randeep Surjewala were also part of the meeting.
Venugopal said the party leadership discussed election strategy and candidate selection for the Rajya Sabha and Council seats in Karnataka, adding that the names of candidates would be announced along with nominees from other states.
Rejecting media speculation over a possible power shift in the state, he maintained that no other political issue was discussed during the meeting.
