Congress leader and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday said that he does not want to comment on the issue of possible change of chief minister “publicly.” He said that it’s a “secret deal” involving “four and five people” in the party. Shivakumar, who also leads the Karnataka Congress, added that he does not want to create any “embarrassment” for the party. His remarks came on the same day chief minister Siddaramaiah urged the Congress central leadership to “take a decision” to “end the confusion.”
“I have not asked to make me the CM. It is a secret deal between five and six of us. I don’t want to speak publicly on this. I believe in my conscience,” Shivakumar said.
Adding to it he mentioned that, “We should work with our conscience. I don’t want to cause embarrassment to the party in any way and weaken it. If the party is there, we are there. If karyakartas are there, we are there.”
Talk of power-sharing since 2023 elections
Since the Congress won the Karnataka assembly elections in March 2023, there has been talk that Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar had an agreement, supported by the party high command, where power would shift after two-and-half years. Rumours around this deal have grown stronger in recent months. While Siddaramaiah has spoken about a reshuffle, he has also maintained that he will remain in charge. Meanwhile, Shivakumar’s supporters have been openly campaigning for him, both in Karnataka and Delhi.
The agreement was reached in March 2023 at the home of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Those present reportedly included Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar, Kharge, general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, and general secretary Randeep Surjewala, Hindustan Times reported quoting sources.
Kharge refuses to discuss issue publicly
On Tuesday, Kharge avoided speaking about the leadership issue, saying it should not be discussed publicly.
“This is not a subject to be discussed here and that too in public. I have specially come here to attend an event related to Constitution Day on November 26. I have an invitation for the event. After attending the event, I have review meetings to attend, after which I will proceed further,” he said.
Over the past year, Siddaramaiah’s statements on the matter have changed. For a long time, he dismissed rumours and said “the Congress government will complete five years.”
His message became stronger on July 2 when he said he “will remain chief minister for the full term.” He repeated this line several times between July and November 21. Things shifted after his late-night meeting with Kharge on November 22 in Bengaluru. Soon after, he said, “the high command will decide on the power sharing issue,” and two days later added, “If the high command wants, I will continue.”
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on Tuesday, Siddaramaiah responded to questions about some legislators travelling to Delhi to push for leadership change. He said, “Let them go. MLAs have the freedom to go to Delhi. Let us see what their opinion is. Ultimately, it is the high command that decides. Let them say what they want. Ultimately, to put a full stop to this confusion, the high command has to make a decision.”