‘Only breakfast Ministry active, rest on permanent fast’: JDS’ Nikhil Kumaraswamy tears into Congress on power struggle crisis

BENGALURU: Amid the ongoing power struggle in the Karnataka Congress, JD(S) MLA Nikhil Kumar took a dig at the leadership on Tuesday, criticising the repeated breakfast meetings between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.

In a post on X, Nikhil said, “Breakfast diplomacy on High Command orders after @INCKarnataka’s poster chaos. In Karnataka, this cabinet has only one active ministry, the Ministry of Breakfast, while the rest remain on a permanent fast. It’s high time @CMofKarnataka & DCM stop the food tours and start the governance. Karnataka deserves better.”

Nikhil’s remarks came shortly after Shivakumar invited Siddaramaiah for a breakfast meeting at his residence on Tuesday morning, according to an official statement, amid heightened tensions within the Congress over power-sharing.

The fresh meeting comes just days after the two leaders met on Saturday morning at Siddaramaiah’s Cauvery residence. Shivakumar had described the meeting as a “productive discussion on Karnataka’s priorities and the road ahead”, though it was widely seen as an attempt to cool tempers within the party.

The Congress government has been facing internal friction, with Shivakumar’s supporters demanding he be made Chief Minister for the remaining 2.5 years of the government, citing the 2023 “power-sharing agreement”. The divide has prompted repeated meetings between the CM and the DCM to avoid escalation.

Following Saturday’s meeting, Shivakumar posted on X, “Met Hon’ble CM Siddaramaiah Avaru at Cauvery Residence this morning for a breakfast meeting. A productive discussion on Karnataka’s priorities and the road ahead.”

The meeting, also attended by Siddaramaiah’s legal advisor AS Ponnanna, focused on resolving the internal impasse. Shivakumar is expected to travel to Delhi soon to meet the Congress high command.

Siddaramaiah, however, maintained that there was no change in his position. Addressing a press conference, he said after their hour-long breakfast of Idli-Sambar and Upma, the two leaders reaffirmed unity. “We have decided that we will follow whatever the high command says. There will be no confusion from tomorrow. There is still no confusion. Some media reporters have created the confusion,” he said.

Speaking about the breakfast meeting, the CM added that they “just had breakfast” after Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal advised Siddaramaiah to invite Shivakumar and AS Ponnanna. He said they discussed the roadmap for the 2028 elections and upcoming local body polls. (ANI)