Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumarafter the breakfast meeting
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar sought to project a united front on Friday as they held a much-anticipated breakfast meeting at the CM’s residence amid an escalating power tussle within the Congress government. Emerging from the meeting, Siddaramaiah said the two leaders would “obey whatever decision the high command takes,” adding, “There are no differences between DK Shivakumar and me… They (BJP and JD(S)) are saying that no no-confidence motion will be moved. We will face it.”
Opposition BJP leaders had warned of pushing a no-confidence motion if the tussle continued and even hinted at the emergence of a “dark horse” in the ongoing churn within the ruling party.
"The BJP and JDS have a habit of making false allegations. They have made statements that they will bring a no-confidence motion. They are only 60, and the JDS is 18. They cannot match our numbers. We are 140. This is a futile exercise. We will confront their false allegations," Siddaramaiah said after the meeting with DKS.
Inside the meeting, which featured a traditional spread of upma, idli and kesari bath — a photo of which was released to signal that “all is well” — the two leaders discussed the swirl of speculation around a possible transition of power.
Siddaramaiah quipped that he “doesn’t talk while eating,” while Shivakumar acknowledged there had been “some confusion” over the past month. “We sat down to discuss it. Our aim is to win the corporation, gram panchayat and the 2028 election,” he said.
Siddaramaiah's announcement of the crucial breakfast meeting came on a day when his cabinet colleague and party chief Mallikarjuna Kharge's son, Priyank Kharge, said the Congress had the 'sense of timing' to resolve issues.
"The party high command had called me and him (D K Shivkumar) and asked us to have a meeting. Hence, I have invited him for breakfast tomorrow. We will discuss when he comes," Siddaramaiah had told reporters in Bengaluru on Thursday