Leadership row: DKS says Siddaramaiah’s word is ‘final’, calls K’taka CM a major asset to Cong
Bengaluru: Amid the ongoing leadership tussle in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar on Monday played down tensions, declaring that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s word is “final” and describing him as a “great asset” to the party.
Responding to media questions on Monday near Shidlaghatta and later at his residence in Sadashivanagar, Bengaluru, Shivakumar said, “Siddaramaiah is a great asset to the party. We are working under his guidance.”
When asked about Siddaramaiah’s remark that everyone, including Shivakumar, must accept the High Command’s decision, he responded, “We all have respect for the High Command. Neither I nor anyone else has spoken about power-sharing.”
“It is the media unnecessarily creating news about it. You are the ones creating unwanted confusion. I, and everyone else, have no confusion. If there is anything, I and the party High Command will resolve it. Whatever decisions are made will be within the internal framework of a closed room,” Shivakumar stated.
When asked whether he had not yet met AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, he said: “I met him just the other day in Delhi. Is it right to meet repeatedly without reason? If the situation demands, I will go and meet him. After he returns from Delhi, I will seek an appointment. There is no need to trouble him unnecessarily.”
“You (the media) don’t even allow me or him to move freely — you stand right at the door. ‘D.K. Shivakumar went in, came out, had coffee, had breakfast, spoke for 40-50 minutes’ — you keep increasing anxiety with such reports. Actually, the media is troubling everyone more than anyone else. None of us have any issues,” he said.
When asked about MLA H.C. Balakrishna going to Delhi, he said: “They might have aspirations to become ministers. What is wrong with that? They are going. Can we tell people not to go to Delhi? The party office in Delhi is like a temple for all of us. People go there to build their future.”
On whether this is a violation of party discipline, he said: “Violation happens when someone makes anti-party statements, forms groups, holds dinner meetings to act against the party. What violation has happened now? Has anyone spoken against the party? As the cabinet reshuffle is expected, they have gone hoping for an opportunity.”
Asked about the High Command’s role and the JD(S)–BJP’s taunt that Mallikarjun Kharge is a ‘rubber-stamp president’, he replied, “Why did Mallikarjun Kharge mention High Command? Because the party has a committee of several leaders.
“When I became KPCC President, could I take sudden decisions on my own? Recently, while finalising four names, I had discussions with Siddaramaiah, district in-charge ministers, the president, and the aspirants,” he said.
He further stated, “After consultations, I conveyed: this many people have applied, these are their opinions, this is their background. In that context, Mallikarjun Kharge said what he did. When we say ‘election committee,’ does one person decide everything? Many people sit together and take decisions.”