‘High command will decide’: Priyank Kharge on Moily backing DK Shivakumar for CM

BENGALURU: IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge on Monday reacted to Congress leader Veerappa Moily’s praise of Deputy CM D K Shivakumar. Priyank Kharge said that the party’s high command decides on who will be the Chief Minister.

Congress leader and former Union Minister Veerappa Moily on Sunday said that no one can stop Shivakumar from becoming the Chief Minister of Karnataka. “You (DK Shivakumar) have given good leadership. You have built the party. People are making statements but no one can stop you from becoming CM. There is no need to get agitated about it. No one can stop you from becoming CM. Becoming Chief Minister is not something that should be given as a gift, it is something he has earned through hard work,” Moily said.

#WATCH | Bengaluru: On Congress leader Dr M Veerappa Moily’s statement, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge says, ” Neither Moily nor anyone else said that DK Shivakumar is going to be the CM today or tomorrow. They said that one day, he would be rewarded for his hard work. High… pic.twitter.com/c5OpP4yB76

— ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2025

“Neither Moily nor anyone else said that DK Shivakumar is going to be the CM today or tomorrow. They said that one day, he would be rewarded for his hard work. High command will decide it. If I say so in front of the media, will it happen? Our responsibilities are very clear, Siddaramaiah is the CM, DK Shivakumar is the DyCM”, he said.

“I might want somebody to become CM one day, if they work hard, they will be rewarded tomorrow. Whatever he said, it is his opinion,” Kharge added.

Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has termed the reports suggesting that he is getting close to the BJP “false propaganda”, emphasising that he was a born Congressman. “I was born a Congressman, and I cherish it. It is being misled that I am getting closer to the BJP, which is a false conspiracy against me”, Shivakumar had said.

Former Chief Minister and MP Basavaraj Bommai also said there is no discussion within the BJP regarding Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar joining the party, adding that political developments happen swiftly.

“Different interpretations are emerging within Congress, which is their internal issue. It reflects their party’s mistrust and confusion. When there is mistrust, there will also be dissent. However, there is no discussion about DK Shivakumar joining the BJP. Political developments happen quickly, sometimes overnight. But as per our understanding, there is no such situation at present”, Bommai said. (ANI)