Breakfast diplomacy: Shivakumar to woo Siddaramaiah with ‘naati koli’
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar will sit for a second breakfast meeting in a week, as Shivakumar has invited the Chief Minister to his home on December 2.
Giving push to ‘breakfast diplomacy’, fully backed by the Congress central leadership, Shivakumar said that the ‘naati koli’ (country chicken) dish, said to be Siddaramaiah’s favourite, will be prepared for the breakfast meeting.
“I have invited the Hon’ble CM for breakfast tomorrow to discuss and strengthen our collective efforts to deliver on our promises to Karnataka,” the Deputy Chief Minister announced on X on Monday.
He said that both leaders will continue to work together as a team, as both leaders will taste the mouthwatering ‘naati koli’ during their meeting on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, Siddaramaiah said he had not yet received a phone call from Shivakumar inviting him for breakfast, but added that he would go whenever invited.
“If I am invited to breakfast by Shivakumar, I am ready to go. He had said at the breakfast meeting (on November 30) that he would invite me. He told me I should come to his residence for breakfast on Tuesday. But until now, I have not received any call. If he invites us, I will go,” said the Chief Minister.
“He (Shivakumar) may invite soon. I assume he will definitely invite me,” he said.
Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief and a key contender for the Chief Minister’s post, had said last Saturday — after the breakfast meeting at the CM’s residence — that he and Siddaramaiah were “together” and would follow the directions of the party high command.
“Today, I am happy. The CM and I had a breakfast meeting. The CM will also visit my residence for dinner in the next two days,” he had remarked.
Earlier on Monday morning, when asked about inviting the Chief Minister to his residence, Shivakumar said the matter concerned only the duo.
“Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and I are working together like brothers. We participated in the breakfast meeting only because of media pressure. You (the media) repeatedly claimed that there are camps and groups within the party,” he said.