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Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar meet for breakfast amid K'taka CM row; 3rd contender seeks peaceful truce
A breakfast meeting between Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and deputy CM Shivakumar took place on Tuesday amid leadership tensions.
Amid renewed power tussle in Karnataka, chief minister Siddaramaiah met deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar for breakfast on Tuesday, even as state home minister G Parameshwara - who also pitched himself as a contender for the top post earlier - urged leaders to work toward a "peaceful settlement."
Siddaramaiah on Tuesday morning arrived at Shivakumar's residence, where he was received by the deputy CM and his brother, former MP DK Suresh.
The interaction came just days after the two leaders held a high-level meeting at the CM's Cauvery residence on November 29.
“I and Shivakumar had breakfast, discussed party matters, strategy for legislature session from December 8,” PTI news agency quoted CM Siddaramaiah as saying after the meeting on Tuesday.
‘Peaceful settlement’ sought
Acknowledging the political churn within the ruling Congress, Parameshwara said, “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. All the issues are settled. It is just reciprocal, nothing else," ANI news agency quoted Parameshwara as saying.
G Parameshwara last month reaffirmed his long-standing position that he remains a contender for the chief minister's post.
"I will always be in the race for CM," a Times of India report had quoted Parameshwara as saying on November 24. He added, "In 2013 I was KPCC president and we brought Congress to the helm. However, I lost the election that year. Had I won, we do not know what would have happened."
Parameshwara on Tuesday said that the meeting reflected normal political processes within the party. "Siddaramaiah had called Shivakumar, and now Shivakumar has called Siddaramaiah. It's a nice development. We normally have a CLP meeting, followed by dinner together. Everything is going smoothly. Different people have different aspirations. I don't think it is wrong. Naturally, they express their aspirations when the time comes," he said.
The Saturday breakfast meeting - featuring idli-sambar and upma - was seen as yet another attempt to ease tensions arising from internal demands for a change in leadership.
Shivakumar's supporters have been pushing for him to be made chief minister for the remaining 2.5 years of the Congress government, citing the alleged 2023 "power-sharing agreement."
Following the Saturday interaction, Shivakumar wrote on X, "Met Hon'ble CM Siddaramaiah Avaru at Cauvery Residence this morning for a breakfast meeting. A productive discussion on Karnataka's priorities and the road ahead."
Siddaramaiah, however, maintained that his position remained unchanged. Both leaders reiterated their commitment to party unity and said they would abide by whatever decision the Congress high command takes while working to resolve any "confusion."
Last Thursday, Kharge told reporters that he will convene a meeting to address the leadership issue and end the “unnecessary” confusion. “After going to Delhi, I will call three four important leaders and discuss. After the discussion, we will decide how to move forward and put an end to the confusion,” he said.
