‘No CM change talks took place during Rahul meeting’: DK Shivakumar

BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president D K Shivakumar on Wednesday clarified that there were no discussions regarding change in Chief Ministership during the visit of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to the state.

Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar said,”I am Karnataka’s Congress president, and he is the leader of the opposition. These meetings and talks are as per protocol; all this cannot be discussed in public… There are no such discussions (CM change). Rahul Gandhi has asked us to continue the good work, and we will work accordingly”.

He added that the meeting also covered developmental issues, including the progress of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), and deliberated on the political scenario in Karnataka. “We also spoke about what kind of progress is taking place as far as NREGA is concerned. We also discussed the BJP politics in the state”, he added. While responding to the Delhi visit, Shivakumar said, “On 16th January, I will be going to Delhi”.

Earlier today, Congress MLA Ashok Pattan said that senior party leader Rahul Gandhi has asked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to visit Delhi, adding that the date for the meeting is yet to be finalised.

Pattan said that Rahul Gandhi conveyed the message to both leaders a day earlier. “Yesterday, Rahul Gandhi told both of them (CM Siddaramaiah and DCM DK Shivakumar) to go to Delhi. The date has not been fixed yet. After fixing the date, both of them will go there”, he said.

They may go to Delhi after Sankranti, he added, stating that “everything will be fine after CM DCM’s visit to Delhi”. Shedding light on the possibilty of any cabinet reshuffle here, Pattan asserted, “There is a desire for a cabinet reshuffle. We all demand a cabinet reshuffle. I am also an aspirant for the ministerial post”.

Earlier on Wednesday, Chief Minister Siddaramiah said that the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, was travelling to Gudalur to attend a programme and that he met him on the way. He clarified that no political discussion took place with the Congress leader.

Responding to media queries regarding alleged confusion over power-sharing in the state, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah asserted that there is no such discord within the party, labelling the speculation an ‘entirely media-driven creation.’

Addressing recent remarks by certain party MLAs on the matter, he said they were not fully aware of the situation. He emphasised that only he or Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar is authorised to speak on the issue, noting that the media has been discussing the topic far more than the legislators themselves.

These developments follow speculation about a change in the state’s Chief Minister, after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20.

As a result, it allegedly triggered an ongoing power struggle within the Karnataka Congress, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, and Home Minister G. Parameshwara seen as key figures in the unfolding political churn. (ANI)