Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar agree on truce

After washing dirty linens in public, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar agreed on an intermittent truce, albeit with the intervention of Congress high command in New Delhi. Both leaders put up a united front and told the media there were no differences between them and that they would be united in the future as well.

Siddaramiah, Shivakumar and their followers, who have been at loggerheads over the top job, said they will abide by the party high command’s decision. The Opposition BJP and JD(S) questioned the ‘truce’ over a breakfast at the CM’s residence, suggesting normalcy may not be possible after months of tension between the two Congress leaders.

“I had a breakfast meeting with Shivakumar because some unwanted confusion was created. It was created by the media. We don’t have differences. Even today, there are no differences, there won’t be any in the future as well. I will ensure that from now on it does not exist,” Siddaramaiah said, briefing the media. Siddaramaiah also stressed that none of the Ministers and the ruling party MLAs are against the government.

The breakfast meet was convened by the CM at the behest of the Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge to end the logjam over the issue bothering the 2.5-year-old Congress government, with the opposition BJP warning of moving a no-confidence motion should the power tussle between the CM and his deputy continue.

“We will face the assembly. We have worked out a strategy on how to face the BJP and the JD(S). They are saying that a confidence motion will be moved. If they bring an adjournment motion, then we will tackle it,” said the CM.

On his part, Shivakumar said people had supported the Congress and brought it to power. Hence, the Congress has to live up to its expectations. Dismissing differences with the CM, Shivakumar said, “We don’t have factionalism.”

Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Congress president, said that he discussed the strategy for the 2028 assembly polls to tackle opposition parties and also the ways to deal with the no-confidence motion if the BJP moves it in the upcoming winter session of the Karnataka legislative assembly in Belagavi.

He also made it clear that the party would fight the 2028 assembly polls under the leadership of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. “The party is in a very difficult stage in the country. We still have the confidence that Karnataka will play a major role (in its revival). And we will repeat in 2028 (the 2023 poll victory),” he added.

The issue of change of leadership had been going on for the past two months, but intensified after November 20, when the Congress government completed 2.5 years.

BJP leader R Ashoka said Siddaramaiah is unwilling to relinquish his position, while Shivakumar has repeatedly asserted that he was promised the CM post for two and a half years.

“If the Congress high command had power and it had the guts, then it should have asserted its authority and said that there was a sharing agreement and it would decide it, but it has now become weak,” the leader of the opposition in the state assembly alleged. The show of unity is devoid of any genuine friendship, he alleged.