No 'secret' talk with CM Siddaramaiah, says Shivakumar

Bengaluru: Amid the ongoing power struggle, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday claimed that there was no 'secret' talk between him and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, adding that the talks involved party seniors as well.

“Others may have confusion but I don’t. Siddaramaiah and I know what we have spoken about. We both haven’t secretly spoken. We have spoken alongside our party leaders. There’s no use in others getting tensed and issuing statements.”

Shivakumar was speaking to reporters before leaving for Delhi. The deputy chief minister’s statement is being interpreted as a reference to the alleged discussion between the duo, which is said to have taken place in May 2023, after the Congress stormed to power, in the presence of top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and AICC general secretaries KC Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala.

The statement also comes at a time when Siddaramaiah is preparing for his record-extending 17th Budget, suggesting he is expected to continue as chief minister for a while.

‘Follow Kharge’s dictum’

Shivakumar also recalled Mallikarjun Kharge’s dictum to state Congress leaders to 'shut up' and not openly speak about internal matters like power sharing.

“Kharge sahab has said that everybody should shut up. Everyone should follow that. Whoever, MLAs, ministers, may be giving statements in my favour or against me. All these are damaging to the party.”

Shivakumar’s statement comes days after Siddaramaiah’s son and MLC Yathindra claimed that the High Command had given a 'clear signal' that there would be no leadership change.

Yathindra’s statement led to backlash from Shivakumar loyalist, Ramanagara MLA, Iqbal Hussain.

Hussain, who had earlier been served a notice for speaking about the power struggle, had also sought similar treatment to Yathindra.

The deputy chief minister explained that he had been invited to an AICC meeting in Delhi to discuss the upcoming elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.

Stating that he may have to go to Assam, Shivakumar said he had informed Siddaramaiah that he would not be able to attend the pre-Budget meeting.

High Command call final: CM

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reiterated his stand that the High Command’s call would be final about the change of power.

“I will not go to Delhi as I have not been invited. Moreover, I have enough work to do here,” he added.
When asked about Shivakumar’s absence from the water resources department’s pre-Budget meeting, Siddaramaiah said, “He wrote to me and took my permission to be absent from these meetings as he is attending meetings in Delhi related to the Assam elections.”