Siddaramaiah, D K Shivakumar seek separate appointments with Rahul Gandhi amid leadership tussle

Amid speculations of leadership change in the state, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar have sought separate appointments with top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday. 

The CM arrived in the national capital to meet Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, while the DCM is here since Tuesday, meeting union ministers to discuss issues concerning his department. The two leaders will be in Delhi over the next two days, trying to meet top leaders of the Congress. 

“I am here to meet the Defence Minister. I have also sought an appointment with Rahul Gandhi. I am planning to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the state’s pending issues and have sought an appointment with him,” the chief minister told reporters here. 

The CM said he, along with Shivakumar, would meet Congress general secretary (incharge of Karnataka) Randeep Singh Surjewala on Thursday to finalise the second round of appointments for boards and corporations. 

On Wednesday, Surjewala was in Bengaluru, holding meetings with ministers and MLAs to address their grievances. Four pending nominations to the Legislative Council will also be finalised before the next legislature session, it is said. 

Separately, Shivakumar met Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at her residence. He remained tight-lipped about the discussions.

The DCM dismissed speculations about leadership change in the Congress government in the state.

“No Cabinet reshuffle is on the cards. I and the chief minister are meeting central ministers to discuss the state’s issues,” he told reporters. 

When asked about the buzz that he would take over as chief minister after the completion of two-and-half years of the government, the DCM called it mere media speculation.