Dy CM Shivakumar invites CM Siddaramaiah for breakfast tomorrow amid power tussle

BENGALURU: Amid the ongoing power tussle in Karnataka’s Congress leadership, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has invited Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for breakfast at his residence on Tuesday morning, according to a statement by Shivakumar’s office.

This breakfast meeting comes just days after a high-profile gathering between the two leaders on Saturday morning at Siddaramaiah’s Cauvery residence.

The Saturday meeting was described by Shivakumar as a “productive discussion on Karnataka’s priorities and the road ahead”, but it was also seen as an attempt to calm tensions arising from the internal power struggle within the Congress party.

Shivakumar’s supporters have been calling for him to be made Chief Minister for the remaining 2.5 years of the Congress-led government, which has fuelled a political divide within the party. The internal disagreement over the CM post, rooted in the “power-sharing agreement” of 2023, has pushed both leaders to meet repeatedly, attempting to avoid a full-blown crisis.

During the Saturday breakfast, Shivakumar in a post on X stated, “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, which also included Siddaramaiah’s legal advisor, AS Ponnanna, aimed to resolve the impasse, with Shivakumar expected to travel to Delhi to meet the Congress high command soon.

Siddaramaiah, however, reiterated his position that there was no change in his stance.

After an hour-long breakfast of Idli-Sambar and Upma, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar reaffirmed cohesion and unity within the Congress party, saying that both leaders have decided to follow whatever decision the party high command takes and resolve any “confusion”.

“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,” CM Siddaramaiah said during a press conference.

Talking about the breakfast meeting at the press conference, the Chief Minister said that they both “just had breakfast” after Congress’ General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal asked Siddaramaiah to invite DK Shivakumar and AS Ponnanna.

According to CM, they discussed their agenda for the 2028 elections and the upcoming local body elections. (ANI)