In an apparent show of unity, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday visited his deputy, DK Shivakumar, at the latter's residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders "broke bread" following a recent period of intense power tussle. Shivakumar stated that the meeting reaffirmed their commitment to good governance and the continued development of the state under the Congress vision.
Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM's Sadashivanagar residence, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother, former Congress MP DK Suresh. Suresh and Kunigal MLA HD Ranganath (a relative of Shivakumar) joined the two leaders for breakfast, which reportedly featured a combination of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.
Shivakumar posted on 'X': "Hosted the Hon'ble CM for breakfast at my residence today as we reaffirm our commitment to good governance and the continued development of our state under the Congress vision."
Although projected as a reciprocal visit following Shivakumar's visit to the CM’s official residence three days earlier, the political implications are being closely monitored, as the meetings were convened under the direction of the Congress high command.
On Monday, Shivakumar had publicly stated that he and the Chief Minister were "working like brothers," insisting there were no factions within the state Congress and blaming the media for creating confusion.
Following the initial breakfast meeting on Saturday — part of the high command’s attempt to break the logjam over the leadership row — both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar had publicly stated that "there won’t be any confusion" and maintained that they would obey the high command on the leadership issue.
This development is widely viewed as a move by the central leadership to pause the leadership conflict and signals Siddaramaiah’s continuation as CM for the time being, particularly ahead of the Belagavi legislature session beginning on December 8th. The power tussle had intensified amid rumours of a change in chief minister after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, fuelled by talks of an alleged 'power-sharing' agreement struck in 2023.
Meanwhile, Home Minister G Parameshwara termed the breakfast meeting a "good development" and expressed hope that all issues are settled.
"It's a good thing that our leaders are getting together again for breakfast. All we want is a peaceful settlement of whatever has happened over the month or so. As suggested by the high command, they are meeting for the second time. I hope all the issues are settled," he told reporters.
Parameshwara dismissed the meeting as nothing more than a reciprocal gesture, adding: "Siddaramaiah had called Shivakumar, and now Shivakumar has called Siddaramaiah. It's a nice development. We see it as a nice development." Regarding aspirations for his own CM post, Parameshwara noted: "Naturally, people want to see their own leaders (as CM), and express their aspirations when the time comes."
Also read: Breakfast meet 2.0: Siddaramaiah to visit Shivakumar’s residence
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