Shivakumar meets Cong prez amid Karnataka CM change buzz

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Bengaluru on Thursday, a meeting that quickly triggered fresh speculation over the simmering leadership question in the state. Shivakumar, however, dismissed suggestions of any discussion on change of guard, insisting the interaction was limited to policy concerns ahead of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on December 27.

Speaking to mediapersons after the meeting, Shivakumar said he had approached Kharge in his capacity as the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief to share his views on the Centre’s decision to replace MGNREGA with a new employment law. He maintained that no political or leadership-related issues were raised.

“There is no reason to raise such matters,” he said, reiterating that both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and he remain bound by the decision of the party high command. He underlined that there is no discussion, agreement or timeline at present on any leadership change.

Clarifying remarks he had earlier made about remaining a “party worker”, Shivakumar said his statement was being misread. He described himself as a lifelong Congress worker who has served the organisation at every level, irrespective of the position he holds. From putting up posters to leading the party organisation, he said he has done every kind of work and has never seen politics as limited to occupying posts or delivering speeches.

When asked when his long years of work would be rewarded, Shivakumar declined to respond. The meeting comes at a politically sensitive moment, with the Congress government in Karnataka crossing the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20. Speculation about a possible leadership transition has intensified in recent weeks, especially after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah asserted in the Assembly on December 19 that he would continue in office and that the party leadership was backing him. He also rejected claims that any decision had been taken on a two-and-a-half-year tenure.

On being told that Siddaramaiah has been invited to attend the CWC meeting, Shivakumar said he was aware that only a few chief ministers from Congress-ruled states had been called. Deputy chief ministers, he pointed out, are not part of the CWC, while state unit chiefs attend the extended working committee meetings. The December 27 CWC meeting will focus on the Centre’s decision to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act with the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act.