'Without hope, there is no life,' says D K Shivakumar on Karnataka chief ministerial post

Will abide by the party high command's decision on leadership change, says Deputy Chief Minister

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar played it safe about leadership change in the Congress government by saying, "Only time will answer. Without hope, there is no life", stressing that the matter rests with the party high command.

"My party high command is the whole and soul for us; we go by their directions. Whatever they decide, we accept,” he said at the India Today Conclave South 2025 on Tuesday.

Since the government was formed in the State in 2023, there have been reports about a secret power-sharing formula in the party, according to which the five-year term of the Chief Minister would be shared between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.

To a question on whether the high command has given him any assurance of making him the Chief Minister, Shivakumar underlined that the Congress government’s strength lay in unity. “It is not a one man’s effort, not me or Siddaramaiah or anyone else. All of us have tirelessly worked together. We have given a commitment to the people of Karnataka. The people responded to us, believed us. It is the unity which brought us big strength,” he said.

He said the government’s focus remained on fulfilling its commitments to the people. “We have promised the people of Karnataka we will give them a good government with good governance. That is the most important thing, so we all will work together for whatever we have promised to the people of Karnataka," Shivakumar said.

On speculation of rivalry within the Congress, he said, “There are no factions. There is only one faction, the Indian National Congress.”

On apologising for singing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) anthem in the Legislative Assembly, Shivakumar said he did not want to allow space for unnecessary controversies. “I do not want someone to create a nuisance, my ego is not important. That is why I apologised for the RSS anthem row," he said and stressed his lifelong loyalty to the Congress. “I am born a Congressman, I will die as a Congressman."

He described the Dharmasthala mass burial controversy as a "bogus" conspiracy fuelled by internal squabbling between the BJP and the RSS, while asserting that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) would reveal the truth.