Amid ongoing power-sharing tensions in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday stated that he would accept any decision made by the Congress high command. He revealed that both he and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar have been invited to Delhi for a breakfast meeting with party leadership to discuss the issue.
Supporters of DK Shivakumar have recently insisted that he should be promoted to chief minister, citing an earlier commitment from the party’s leadership following the 2023 election victory. However, Siddaramaiah and his camp maintain that no formal agreement was reached with the high command regarding this arrangement.
Siddaramaiah sought to minimise speculation over internal rifts, stressing his commitment to following party orders. He explained that he acts on instructions from the top and described Saturday’s meeting as “only a breakfast meeting.” He repeated that he would accept whatever the high command decides.
Earlier in the day, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar appeared together at a government function to display unity. During the event, Shivakumar appeared to indirectly target Siddaramaiah, while also praising Sonia Gandhi’s decision in 2004 to appoint Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister.
The issue took another turn when Home Minister G Parameshwara said he would support Shivakumar as chief minister if the leadership directed it, while Siddaramaiah’s ally Zameer Ahmed Khan asserted shortly after that Siddaramaiah would stay on as chief minister.
Meanwhile, Minister Eashwar Khandre stated that the Congress high command has already instructed leaders not to publicly comment on the leadership issue. He emphasised that the focus remains on providing good governance in the state.