“Shivakumar and I stand united, and we will continue to run the government together in the future. We are always in agreement, consider ourselves brothers, and are collaborating effectively. All our MLAs are on the same page, and we will confront the Opposition as one,” Siddaramaiah mentioned after breakfast with Shivakumar.
Shivakumar supported Siddaramaiah, labeling the purported rift between them as a fabrication by the media. “In Congress, we speak as one voice. There are no differences within the party; it’s merely media speculation,” he stated.
Siddaramaiah affirmed that both will adhere to the Congress high command’s decisions regarding the leadership issue, indicating that Shivakumar would assume the role of CM when the high command decides. Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s home for breakfast shortly after their recent meeting amidst ongoing power struggles.
To date, there has been no word from the high command regarding when a decision might be made.
The CM remarked, “Should they (the high command) summon us, we will certainly attend. Tomorrow, I’ll be meeting AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal at an event, where both of us are invited.”
After breakfast, Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM discussed the upcoming legislative session starting on December 8 in Belagavi and the strategy to adopt. They also planned to organize a meeting of Karnataka MPs in Delhi during the Parliament session on December 8 to address state-related issues.
These breakfast meetings are viewed as a strategy by the high command to alleviate the leadership conflict and indicate Siddaramaiah’s ongoing role as CM for the time being, especially with the Belagavi legislative session approaching on December 8.
The power struggle within the ruling party has escalated amid rumors of a potential change in the chief minister following the Congress government’s midway point in its five-year term on November 20. Speculation has been heightened by discussions surrounding a ‘power-sharing’ agreement reportedly established when the party was elected in 2023.
