Success comes to me with effort, says Shivakumar amid K’taka leadership buzz
New Delhi: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday asserted that success invariably follows his efforts, even as speculation over a possible leadership change in the state continues to gather pace.
“We are in politics, so we must engage in politics. I always succeed; it only requires some effort,” Shivakumar said at a press conference held at Karnataka Bhavan in Delhi, responding to questions about the ongoing leadership tussle in Karnataka. He is widely seen as a contender for the Chief Minister’s post.
When asked whether his visit to Delhi had been fruitful and whether the party high command had provided any clarity on the issue of power-sharing, he said, “We have not discussed that matter. The party has its own goals, and our leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge will take an appropriate decision at the right time, keeping in mind the party’s success, its interests, and the interests of Karnataka and the country. The media and others are giving this visit a new colour and interpretation. There is nothing special in it for us.”
When told that he had shown considerable patience in the matter, he replied, “Patience also yields good results.”
On his meetings with senior leaders, he said, “Whenever I come to Delhi, I meet everyone. I have met Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, K.C. Venugopal, Randeep Singh Surjewala, T.B. Jayachandra and others. When politicians meet, will they not discuss politics? We do discuss politics. But I cannot disclose the details of those discussions before the media. We would have discussed Karnataka’s interests as well as matters relating to Assam and Delhi.”
When informed that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s son and Congress MLC Yathindra had stated that there would be no leadership change in the state, Shivakumar responded sarcastically, “Is he not part of our high command? We must accept what he says.”
Asked about reports of MLAs going on foreign tours, he said, “I will not comment on that matter. There are MLAs and there is the Chief Minister. I do not know what guidance the Chief Minister has given them. This issue has not been discussed with me. I have come to know about it only through the media, and no one has informed me otherwise.”
On the government completing 1,000 days in office, he said, “We are happy about the achievements of our government in these 1,000 days. We are celebrating this unprecedented moment and, on this occasion, we are introducing another guarantee — Bhoomi Guarantee — for the people of the state. We are providing title deeds and land ownership documents to lakhs of people who do not have land rights. We are also issuing proper khata documents. Apart from the five guarantees, this is another ambitious scheme of our government.”
When asked how the next 1,000 days would be, he said, “They will be very bright and strong.”
Responding to the BJP’s allegation that people were suffering due to an alleged conflict between the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister, Shivakumar said, “The conflict is within the BJP, not between us. Both the Chief Minister and I function according to the party’s decisions. All discussions have taken place between us. The party will take the final decision.”
On Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s remark that while relations with the Congress are cordial, power-sharing is not possible, he said, “I will not comment on that. Our high command leaders will respond. We are not part of that discussion, so it would not be appropriate for me to speak about it.”