Amid discord murmurs, Karnataka Congress chief and Siddaramaiah meet

The breakfast meeting coupled with pictures of the two leaders laughing and sharing a meal at Siddaramaiah’s official residence attempted to contain the damage of their rift and its impact on the Congress before the 2023 assembly elections.

Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah on Friday invited Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief DK Shivakumar for breakfast to quell, at least temporarily, the reports of growing differences in what appears to be a forced truce imposed by the party’s high command, persons aware of the developments said.

Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah and state Congress chief DK Shivakumar during a meeting in Bengaluru. (HT Photo)

The breakfast meeting coupled with pictures of the two leaders laughing and sharing a meal at Siddaramaiah’s official residence attempted to contain the damage of their rift and its impact on the Congress before the 2023 assembly elections.

“We met to discuss various issues of the party... about building the organisation and facing the elections,” Shivakumar said with Siddaramaiah by his side.

The statements come at a time when there is growing speculation that the individual political ambitions of the two leaders and their aim to become the next chief minister are denting the party’s chances against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the next year’s polls.

On August 3, Siddaramaiah loyalists are holding “Siddaramahotsava” to celebrate the 75th birthday of the former chief minister in Davangere which is more of a show of strength, people aware of the developments said.

Shivakumar on Thursday had said that the event will be held under the party umbrella as Rahul Gandhi is also expected to be present along with other national and state leaders.

Siddaramaiah said that the committee for the event included all the senior party members.

“Since I am turning 75, it is celebrating a milestone,” Siddaramaiah said, adding: “Even if it is not the platform of the party, it is being done by the people of the party.”

“There will certainly be a political message (from the event), are we Sanyasis? Is Rahul Gandhi or Shivakumar a Sanyasi? It will be there. Isn’t listing out our achievements during our five years tenure politics? Isn’t recalling my political journey a politics? It is there, nothing can be done without politics,” Siddaramaiah was quoted as saying by PTI.

The leader also said that he did not term the event as “Siddaramahotsava” but it was the media that picked up a term made up by someone else.

Siddaramaiah’s stay at the top despite losing in one of the two seats he contested as sitting chief minister in 2018 along with a chance to retain power, has miffed a few leaders including Shivakumar who also nurses ambitions of occupying the top chair if the party comes to power on its own next year.

With MLAs openly backing Siddaramaiah, he has the upper hand in battle for dominance as the said MLAs had even defied Shivakumar in calling the former as the ‘next CM of Karnataka’.

However, Siddaramaiah is unlikely to contest from Badami in 2023 and is currently scouting for a new constituency as his son, Dr Yathindra, is the legislator from Varuna in Mysuru, his former seat.

Kolar is one of the districts that Siddaramaiah has his eyes set on and the recent induction of leaders from the district is also a part of the same strategy, said people aware of the developments.