Pro-Shivakumar slogans greet Venugopal in Mangaluru, CM supporters hit back

The unease within the Karnataka Congress over the power tussle involving its two top leaders came to the fore again on Wednesday when AICC general secretary K C Venugopal was greeted with pro-Shivakumar slogans at the city airport while the Chief Minister's supporters hit back later with "full term CM Siddaramaiah," remarks.

The development comes a day after a second breakfast meeting between CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy Shivakumar, where the leaders asserted they were united and working like brothers.

Venugopal arrived here to attend the centenary commemoration of the historic Narayana Guru-Mahatma Gandhi dialogue, an event organised by Mangaluru University and attended by Siddaramaiah, cabinet ministers and senior Congress leaders. Sources close to Shivakumar said he was not invited to the event.

As Venugopal exited the airport, a group of party workers raised slogans expressing support for Shivakumar.

Later, when the CM landed at the airport, his supporters raised slogans like 'Siddu, Siddu, Poornaavadhi Siddu' (full term CM Siddaramaiah), an obvious reference to him completing his five-year term in office till 2028.

Speaking to reporters, Mithun Rai, a leader of the pro-Shivakumar group, insisted that there were “no rival camps” within the party, but acknowledged that many workers “would be happy to see D K Shivakumar become the Chief Minister.”

He described the slogan-shouting as an expression of “natural affection” for the deputy CM among grassroots cadres.

Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah had a brief, private meeting with Venugopal.

The leadership change in the state issue gained steam in November with the party-led government completed 2.5 years of its term.

A rumoured 2023 power-sharing agreement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar added to the debate, although the Congress has never confirmed or denied any such arrangement involving the two senior leaders.

In an effort to put an end to the logjam, Siddaramaiah hosted Shivakumar for a breakfast meeting on November 29, at the Congress high command's behest, with the deputy CM reciprocating the gesture on Tuesday.

On both occasions, the two leaders had put up a united front, denying any differences and asserting they would abide by the party high command.

However, the Mangaluru episode is being seen as another indication of simmering sentiment among a section of party workers, particularly those identified with Shivakumar's organisational influence in the state.