Meeting with MPs in Delhi ‘major success’: Karnataka chief minister DK Shivakumar

The meeting, which took place, demonstrated "there is strength in unity" and reinforced the need for leaders across parties to work together for development.

Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday described his meeting with the state's MPs in New Delhi as a "major success".

One of the key outcomes of the meeting was the positive response to Shivakumar's appeal that all MPs jointly pursue pending projects with the Centre (X/ @DKShivakumar )

He said the meeting, which took place on Monday, demonstrated that "there is strength in unity" and reinforced the need for leaders across party lines to work together for Karnataka's development.

The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said the meeting drew an unprecedented response from MPs across political parties and received appreciation even from opposition leaders for its objective and the Chief Minister's inclusive approach.

According to the CMO, Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi, Shobha Karandlaje and V Somanna, BJP leaders Basavaraj Bommai and Jagadish Shettar, and Rajya Sabha member Sudha Murty said they had "never seen so many MPs attend such a meeting before" and termed it "a first".

They also praised Shivakumar for organising the interaction, describing the effort as "commendable".

"The meeting sent a clear message: there is strength in unity," the CMO said, adding that leaders endorsed the Chief Minister's appeal to "set aside party lines and work together for Karnataka's development."

The release said one of the key outcomes of the meeting was the positive response to Shivakumar's appeal that all MPs jointly pursue pending projects with the Centre, press for the release of funds and seek drought relief assistance for the state.

Union Ministers Joshi, Somanna and Karandlaje attended the meeting along with Lok Sabha members Bommai, Shettar, P C Gaddigoudar, Sagar Khandre, Dr Manjunath, Tejasvi Surya, P C Mohan, Dr Sudhakar, Sunil Bose, Priyanka Jarkiholi, Prabha Mallikarjun, Shreyas Patel, Yaduveer Wadiyar, B Y Raghavendra, Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri and Kota Srinivas Poojary.

Rajya Sabha members Sudha Murty, Jairam Ramesh, Ajay Maken, Syed Nasir Hussain, Narayan Bhandage, M Nagaraj, Mansoor Khan and Pawan Khera were also present.

The CMO said Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and H D Kumaraswamy, along with Rajya Sabha members Mallikarjun Kharge, Jaggesh, Lehar Singh and Dr Veerendra Heggade, could not attend due to prior commitments but had informed the organisers in advance.

The release described the meeting as "a resounding success."