Amid the leadership tussle in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Saturday said that the party high command has told him that it will call both him and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at an appropriate time.
Interacting with reporters here, Shivakumar, asked whether he was supposed to meet the high command after the Assembly session, said the high command had informed both him and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah about when it would call them.
“They have conveyed this to us over the phone. We will go,” he said.
Onwhether both leaders would go together, Shivakumar replied that both of them would have to go. “Is it possible not to go there?” he asked.
“I will inform the media about it. Without informing you, I will not stealthily go and meet them,” he quipped.
Shivakumar further stated that he would be travelling to Delhi on Tuesday as the Union Ministry of Water Resources had called a meeting on interlinking of rivers. “I will attend that meeting and raise issues related to the Mahadayi project, the Krishna water award, the Mekedatu project, and the Upper Bhadra project,” he said.
“I am going to meet the Union Minister for Water Resources. We have also sought an appointment with the Union Forest Minister. I will meet the Union Urban Development Minister as well. I am meeting all of them in the interest of the state. There are many issues,” he said.
“If required, I will also meet the Prime Minister later,” Shivakumar added.
Aasked again whether he would be going with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to meet the high command, Shivakumar reiterated: “They have said they will call both of us at an appropriate time. We will wait for the call.”
The leadership tussle within the Congress in Karnataka took a fresh turn on Friday, with Shivakumar countering Siddaramaiah’s assertion that there was no power-sharing formula and that he would remain in office for the full term.
“Chief Minister, the high command, and I are bound by a pact,” Shivakumar said, while maintaining that there were no discussions within the party on a change in leadership.
Siddaramaiah had asserted on the floor of the Assembly that he would continue in office for the full term and that no power-sharing formula had been discussed within the Congress.
“The leadership issue is an internal matter of our party. We will follow the directions of the high command. However, I am the current Chief Minister and have completed two-and-a-half years in office. I will continue as the Chief Minister in the future as well,” Siddaramaiah said.
