'Can't discuss in public': DK Shivakumar's cryptic response over Delhi visit grabs attention

DK Shivakumar

• DK Shivakumar visits Delhi to meet Congress leaders and Union Ministers
• He declined to comment on Karnataka leadership change speculation
• Meetings with Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah were described as protocol

Did our AI summary help?

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar arrived in Delhi on Friday and is expected to hold meetings with senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. However, he declined to spell out the exact purpose of his visit, choosing to remain guarded amid renewed speculation over the party’s leadership dynamics in Karnataka.

Responding to questions about his Delhi trip, particularly in the context of recurring discussions around a possible leadership tussle in the state, Shivakumar said he was not in a position to make any disclosures. According to news agency ANI, he stated that he could not discuss the matter publicly and added that it was for the party’s general secretary to “disclose any plan”.

Shivakumar said his visit was primarily aimed at meeting party leaders. When asked whether he would also meet any Union Ministers, he replied, “Yes, I have some meetings, I have an important legal issue connected to irrigation projects, and some big cases are there. I will also be meeting some Union Ministers.”

The Deputy Chief Minister’s visit to the national capital comes just days after he and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met Rahul Gandhi at Mysuru airport earlier this week. During that meeting, Gandhi held separate interactions with both leaders, further fuelling speculation about internal discussions on the state’s leadership.

When asked if he had spoken to Gandhi about any possible change in Karnataka’s leadership, Shivakumar declined to comment. “I can't disclose all these things. It is not an issue to be discussed in public. It is between me, the party High Command, and my Chief Minister,” he said, as quoted by ANI.

At the same time, Shivakumar sought to downplay the speculation, asserting that the meetings during Gandhi’s recent visit were part of standard protocol and not linked to any leadership change. “I am Karnataka's Congress President, and he is the leader of the opposition in LoK Sabha. 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,” ANI quoted him as saying.

Earlier, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had also maintained that any decision regarding a change in leadership in Karnataka would be taken solely by the party’s high command. With the Congress government in the state completing half of its term, the question of leadership has once again moved to the forefront of Karnataka’s political discourse.