Karnataka row to be resolved after discussions with Sonia, Rahul: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said the matter would be resolved only after discussions at the highest level with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

He stressed that the issue required a collective decision rather than public speculation. Kharge said that the three of them would “sit together and sort it out”, signalling that any final call would come from the top.

Although political murmurs have intensified over an alleged understanding between CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar in 2023 to share power midway through the term, neither of them has confirmed such an arrangement.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge insisted that his recent meeting with Rahul had nothing to do with the debate on state’s leadership.

He said any suggestion that he had passed on messages between Gandhi, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar was misplaced. He said he had met Gandhi only to demonstrate the state’s new AI-ready personal computer and discuss the ongoing cases of vote theft. The high command, he maintained, would settle the leadership question when it deemed fit.

Reports suggest Priyank had conveyed Rahul’s views to both leaders. According to these reports, the two may soon be called to Delhi for discussions. However, brushing aside these reports, Priyank said only he and Rahul knew what was discussed.

He pointed out that Rahul was invited to the Bengaluru Tech Summit, but could not attend, prompting Kharge to seek time to showcase the AI personal computer. Gandhi, he said, was curious to see the project and therefore granted the meeting.

Asked whether he had handed over a political report about state developments, Priyank said questions about what Rahul might have asked during the conversation could not be discussed publicly. The minister had also met Shivakumar later on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, sources within the party said the issue was likely to be resolved before the upcoming winter session.

Siddaramaiah has repeatedly said he would abide by whatever the high command decides. When asked on Tuesday about legislators backing Shivakumar travelling to Delhi, he said MLAs were free to convey their views, but the decision lay solely with the central leadership. Only they, he said, could “end the confusion”.

A section of MLAs has reportedly appealed to the leadership to settle the matter swiftly. Siddaramaiah said such views should be placed before the high command, adding that clarity can come only from Delhi.

Shivakumar, on the other hand, has hinted at an internal understanding, while insisting that he would not air party matters in public. He said there was a private arrangement among “five or six” senior leaders and that he trusted his own conscience on the issue.

He maintained that he had never asked for the chief ministerial post and would not do anything that could embarrass or weaken the party. “If the party stands firm, we all do,” he said.

Speaking in Kanakapura, the Deputy Chief Minister described Siddaramaiah as a seasoned leader who had already spent more than seven years as the CM in two terms.

Reacting to Siddaramaiah’s statement that he will present the next Budget as well, Shivakumar said he was pleased and that the party must stay united while preparing for the 2028 Assembly and 2029 Lok Sabha polls.

When pressed on whether a power-sharing deal had been struck after the 2023 election, Shivakumar sidestepped the question, saying the media had written enough about it.