BENGALURU/NEW DELHI, Nov 25: As the leadership tussle in the Congress government in Karnataka refuses to die down, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday put the onus on the party high command to put a “full stop to the confusion” even as his deputy D K Shivakumar said cryptically there is a “secret deal between 5-6 of us” in the party on the issue of sharing power.
AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge for his part said the issue of leadership change in Karnataka is not something to be discussed publicly.
The power tussle within the ruling party has intensified in the recent weeks amid speculation about a CM change in the state after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20 in the backdrop of an alleged “power-sharing” agreement involving Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in 2023.
A day after asserting that the high command’s decision on the matter is binding on all, including himself and Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah urged the party’s top leadership to put an end to the “confusion.” Responding to a question about legislators backing Shivakumar travelling to Delhi, Siddaramaiah said, “Let them go. MLAs have freedom. Let’s see what opinion they give. Ultimately, the high command has to make the decision. We will abide by what the high command says.”
Asked about a section of legislators appealing to the high command to put the matter to rest, he said, “Whatever they (legislators) want to say, let them say to the high command. Ultimately, to put a full stop to this confusion, the high command has to take the decision.”
Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief, said he doesn’t want to speak on the matter in public as there was a “secret deal” between “5-6 of us” in the party and that he believes in his conscience. (PTI)
