The power struggle continues between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar for the post of Chief Minister in Karnataka. Shivakumar has hinted at a secret agreement of 2.5 years rotational CM. The Congress high command (Kharge, Sonia, Rahul) will soon take a final decision on this.
New Delhi: According to the report of The New Indian Express, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has sent a very important WhatsApp message to DK Shivakumar, who is eager to become the Chief Minister. Handling the ongoing power tussle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has become a difficult task for the Congress high command.
I, Sonia, Rahul will decide
Party President Mallikarjun Kharge said on Wednesday that the dispute over the post of Chief Minister will be resolved soon and the final decision will be taken by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and himself together. Reports suggest that the central leadership is planning to take a decision on the leadership change in Karnataka before the Parliament session begins on December 1.
“What the government is doing, only the people there can tell. But I assure you, we will resolve these issues. Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and I will sit together and discuss. Whatever is necessary, we will do,” Kharge said.
Scroll to load tweet…
Rahul Gandhi’s WhatsApp message to DKS
Meanwhile, it is reported that Rahul Gandhi has sent a short WhatsApp message to Shivkumar, which reads, “Please wait, I will call you.” On November 20, as Karnataka’s Congress government completed half of its five-year term, Shivakumar on Tuesday fueled speculation over power-sharing by saying, “There is a secret deal between five-six of us.” According to party insiders, this agreement was signed at Kharge’s residence in May 2023, under which Siddaramaiah was to get the first 2.5 years and Shivakumar the remaining tenure as Chief Minister. It is being said that Siddaramaiah has promised to step down a week before the completion of 2.5 years.
Sidhu’s tone softened after meeting Kharge
Although Siddaramaiah has been continuously saying that he will remain the Chief Minister for the entire tenure, but after the meeting with Kharge on November 22, his tone softened. After this he started saying that “the high command will decide.”
Meanwhile, speaking in Kanakapura, Shivakumar refrained from raising the issue. “The Chief Minister has spoken. He is a senior leader and an asset to the party. He has completed 7.5 years as Chief Minister, including his previous tenure,” he said.
“I don’t know. I have not asked myself to be made the chief minister. It is a secret deal between five-six of us. I do not want to talk about it publicly. I trust my conscience. We should work by listening to our conscience. I do not want to embarrass or weaken the party in any way. If the party is there, we are there. If the workers are there, we are there,” Shivakumar said in response to a question.
On Siddaramaiah’s statement that he will also present the next budget, Shivakumar replied, “I am very happy. He has served as the leader of the opposition and strengthened the party. We all should work together with the goal of 2028 assembly elections and 2029 Lok Sabha elections.”