The power tussle within the Congress government in Karnataka has intensified over the weekend amid a fresh group of MLAs loyal to deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar flying to New Delhi to meet the party high command.
On Monday, chief minister Siddaramaiah gave a cryptic response to the ongoing buzz in the state, saying that he will accept the decision taken by the Congress top brass.
For the last few days, there has been speculation around the change in leadership in Karnataka with the Siddaramaiah-led government reaching the halfway mark of its five-year term this month. The CM change buzz spawns from an unconfirmed "power-sharing" agreement involving CM Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in 2023 after Congress won the assembly election.
Siddaramaiah told reporters in Chikkaballapura that the high command will take the final call on the leadership change issue, adding that he and DK Shivakumar should accept it.
"We will abide by the high command decision. If they decide I should continue (as CM), I will continue. Ultimately, whatever the high command decides, I should accept it. Shivakumar should also accept it," Siddaramaiah said.
Siddaramaiah also brushed aside a direct question on whether Shivakumar will become the new chief minister, telling off a reporter for making him repeat himself: "When I have said the high command will decide, you (reporter) are asking me the same thing again."
He added that the high command had agreed for a Cabinet reshuffle a few months, but he suggested that the government should first complete 2.5 years in office.
"Now we will follow whatever the high command decides."
If the Congress greenlights the cabinet reshuffle, it will effectively mean status quo since Siddaramaiah will then stay on as the chief minister.
The chief minister also skirted questions about the alleged agreement for power transfer, simply saying: "Will abide by the high command's decision."
Siddaramaiah on Saturday held more than an hour-long meeting with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence in Bengaluru.
The meeting happened after some legislators, about ten of them, supporting Shivakumar travelled to Delhi and met Kharge, as the Congress government completed 2.5 years in office on November 20.
Shivakumar, however, had then said he was not aware of legislators travelling to Delhi to meet Kharge.
Another batch of six Congress legislators backing Sivakumar has flown to New Delhi last night to meet Congress high command leaders, party sources said on Monday.
Few more legislators are likely to travel soon to pitch for Shivakumar as CM, they said.
Kharge, who is in Bengaluru, is scheduled to travel to Delhi, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is likely to return from trip abroad, sources added.
While Siddaramaiah is pushing for a reshuffle of his Cabinet, Shivakumar wants the party to first decide on leadership change, party sources said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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