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Siddaramaiah, DKS to meet Cong leaders to fix K’taka CM post issue
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM Shivakumar may meet Congress leaders in Delhi on Dec 14 to resolve ongoing leadership tensions in the state.
New Delhi: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar might meet Congress top brass in Delhi on December 14, amid an ongoing tiff over chief minister’s seat in the state, two party functionaries said on Saturday.
The CM and the deputy CM’s meeting in Delhi with top Congress leadership might lead to a long-term solution for the leadership issue in Karnataka, the functionaries said.
A Congress leader indicated that the two leaders might have a meeting with either Congress parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi, leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi or Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
A leader close to party brass said, the window is short for such a meeting but if that happens, it would be a significant step in restoring normalcy in Karnataka.
Congress’ Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala told HT, “Both Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar are senior leaders of our party. If they want to meet any of our top leaders, they can always do so.”
The meeting is expected to take place after the party’s mega rally being held at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi to further its ‘Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod’ (’unseat the vote thieves’) campaign over alleged collusion between the ruling BJP and the Election Commission, people familiar with the matter told HT.
Party president Mallikarjun Kharge had said about three weeks ago that the “confusion” would be fixed by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, plus himself.
The information about a possible meeting with Sonia Gandhi came even as wrangling by both camps continued in Belagavi, where the Karnataka assembly’s winter session is currently on.
Talk of a tussle between the two has been there since the party took over the state in 2023, but it gained traction when the government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, because it was believed that there was a generational handover pact between Siddaramaiah, 77, and Shivakumar, 63.
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar met over breakfast at each other’s residences, on the instructions of the party leadership, to signal a truce just weeks ago. But it was only a pause, as both said the decision of the “high command” — essentially Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, plus party chief Kharge — will be “acceptable” to them. They denied any rift with one another, though.
The timing of the possible meeting with the Congress brass is important as Rahul Gandhi is expected to leave for Germany next week and Kharge too, have several engagements.
