‘Free entertainment without paying any tax’: BJP’s S Suresh Kumar on Cong leadership rift in Karnataka

BENGALURU: BJP MLA S Suresh Kumar on Monday mocked the reported leadership rift in Karnataka, calling it “free entertainment without paying any tax”. He said that while the winter session in Belagavi is just days away, the Congress government is still caught up in internal conflicts instead of focusing on important public issues.

Suresh Kumar said, “(It is) free entertainment without paying any tax. The much-awaited winter session will begin in another seven days in Belagavi… People are looking forward to that session to take up very serious issues, and the government is still embroiled in its own conflict and confusion…”

#WATCH | Bengaluru, Karnataka: On CM Siddaramaiah to meet Dy CM DK Shivakumar, BJP MLA S Suresh Kumar says, “(It is) free entertainment without paying any tax. The much-awaited winter session will begin in another seven days… People are looking forward to that session to take… pic.twitter.com/jWiWiptmZF

— ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2025

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 December 2 (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.

Saturday’s 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. (ANI)