NEW DELHI: Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka DK Shivakumar on Wednesday dismissed the reports of any “CM change talks” with the talks with the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Giving more details of the meeting, he said that the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha had asked them to “keep up the good work”.“I am the Karnataka Congress president and he is the Leader of Opposition. These meetings and discussions 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,” DK Shivakumar said.
The clarification came after Shivakumar created a stir in the media when Shivakumar shared a picture of the brief meeting with Rahul Gandhi and wrote a cryptic post: “Even when efforts fail, prayer does not fail.”Congress MP Ashok Pattan said that Rahul has directed Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and deputy CM DK Shivakumar to travel to Delhi, probably Sankrant, and stated that “everything will be fine after CM DCM’s visit to Delhi.”“Yesterday Rahul Gandhi told both (CM Siddaramaiah and DCM DK Shivakumar) to go to Delhi. The date is not fixed yet. After the date is fixed, both will go there,” ANI quoted Pattan as saying.The exclusive interaction between Rahul and DKS took place at Mysuru Airport on Tuesday. The meeting sparked renewed speculation about a possible leadership change in the state, even as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah denied that politics was discussed. Rahul arrived at Mandakalli airport around 2 pm en route to Gudalur in Tamil Nadu and was received by both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, who had traveled together. Within minutes, Rahul left in the helicopter while the chief minister and his deputy left the airport separately.Later in the day, Rahul returned to Mysuru earlier than expected before heading to Delhi. Shivakumar arrived at the airport ahead of him and had a three-minute one-on-one conversation with Rahul on the tarmac. Siddaramaiah later joined them after which Rahul briefly interacted with both leaders before leaving on a special flight at around 5.45 pm.After the Congress’s landslide victory in the 2023 general elections, the party’s high command faced a dilemma in choosing the chief minister. Siddaramaiah was eventually made the CM due to his seniority, administrative experience and mass appeal. However, it was widely understood that there was an internal agreement that Shivakumar would take over the top job midway through the government’s five-year term.Also Read: Two breakfasts later, Sidda-DKS standoff continues – why it’s a quandary for the Congress high command
