BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday reiterated that any change in the state leadership will be decided by the Congress high command, hinting that opinions of senior party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will guide the decision.
Talking to the media after attending a breakfast meeting hosted by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar at his residence in Sadashivanagar, he said, “We discussed issues concerning farmers and people of the state in general. We had already decided at the breakfast meeting that I hosted (for Shivakumar) that we would listen to any decision taken by the high command... mostly Rahulji and Soniaji... and Khargeji.”
He said, “So far, there has been no communication (from the high command). If they call us, we will certainly go. I am meeting KC Venugopal (AICC General Secretary) at a function (in Mangaluru),” he said when asked whether they would meet high command leaders in Delhi. Even on the cabinet reshuffle, the high command has to decide, he added.
Asked when Shivakumar might become chief minister, Siddaramaiah said, “When the high command decides.”
Siddaramaiah and Venugopal are meeting in Mangaluru on Wednesday at an event celebrating spiritual guru Narayana Guru that has been organised by CWC permanent invitee and MLC BK Hariprasad.
‘We have the ideology of one party and we will work together’
Venugopal could convey directions of Sonia and Rahul to Siddaramaiah, it is said.
Siddaramaiah met Rahul in Delhi on November 15, reportedly seeking the green signal for a cabinet reshuffle. That was when Shivakumar and his camp swung into action to scuttle the move as it would have put paid to his efforts to become CM and ensure the continuation of Siddaramaiah as CM.
Shivakumar has been parroting that a power sharing pact exists that was overseen by just five to six top leaders of the party soon after Congress came to power in the state in 2023.
Just as the pot was on the boil, Shivakumar and his brother DK Suresh went to Delhi, but neither Rahul nor Venugopal met them. During the previous breakfast meeting he hosted for Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah did not reply to a query on change in leadership, stating that he would abide by the high command’s decision. Tuesday’s breakfast meeting was a reciprocal gesture, prodded by Venugopal, to reduce tension between the two camps.
“We have the ideology of one party and we will work together. We will also face the 2028 Assembly elections together and bring Congress back to power in the state. There are no differences between us,” he replied when asked about rifts between him and Shivakumar.
They held one-on-one deliberations for about an hour, and claimed that their focus was on facing BJP and JDS in the winter session of the legislature starting from December 8 in Belagavi. They stressed that their discussion was to evolve a strategy to counter the opposition combine that is planning to table a no-confidence motion.
What was on platter
On a lighter note, Siddaramaiah said that while he had vegetarian breakfast with Shivakumar during their earlier meeting, for Tuesday he wanted Shivakumar to get a nati koli (village hen), as pure breeds aren’t easily available in the city. Shivakumar’s brother DK Suresh and Kunigal MLA HD Ranganath (Shivakumar’s brother-in-law) also joined the breakfast.
They savoured idlis, dosas with the nati koli curry. The curry was prepared by Shivakumar’s wife Usha in Mysuru style, which is Siddaramaiah’s favourite as he hails from that area. Shivakumar who chose to have vegetarian dishes for the day had idlis and dosa with chutney and vegetable curry.
Siddaramaiah said that as usual, a banquet will be organised for party MLAs during the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting scheduled during the session. “All Congress MLAs are united. There is no difference among them. They had only aired their opinions,” he added.
Meeting of all-party MPs from karnataka in Delhi on December 8, says Shivakumar
DCM DK Shivakumar said that he is convening an all-party meeting of state MPs in Delhi on December 8 to take up state’s issues before the Centre, including pending irrigation projects and increasing MSP for maize and fair and remunerative price for sugarcane. Asked if he would meet Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, he said,
“I will meet them if they ask me to.” He said strategies to face the opposition during the state legislature session and finalising candidates for the Council elections to six seats in 2026 were discussed during breakfast he hosted for CM Siddaramaiah at his residence on Tuesday morning, as guided by AICC General Secretary Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala. “What will they protest against?
They are an empty pot,” he chided. “It is the media that is creating a perception of differences among MLAs. The leadership remains united,” he said when asked whether party MLAs were divided between him and Siddaramaiah on the power transfer tussle.
