Bengaluru: A day after meeting senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar has cancelled his scheduled visit to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, citing official engagements in New Delhi and Bengaluru.In a statement issued Saturday, Shivakumar’s office said the DCM has a series of meetings lined up with AICC functionaries in connection with the Assam assembly elections. It also said he is spearheading the Congress campaign against the Union govt over MGNREGA, due to which a five-day special session of the Karnataka assembly is scheduled to begin on Jan 22.The World Economic Forum will hold its 56th annual meeting in Davos from Jan 19 to Jan 23, bringing together nearly 3,000 leaders from more than 130 countries amid heightened geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty and rapid technological change. The summit, themed “A spirit of dialogue”, aims to provide a platform for leaders from govt, business and civil society to rebuild trust and explore collaborative solutions to global challenges.Shivakumar was in New Delhi to attend a preparatory meeting related to the Assam elections when he briefly met Rahul, triggering speculation in political circles in Karnataka. His decision to skip the Davos event comes amid talk of a CM change in Karnataka.This was the second meeting between Shivakumar and Rahul in a week. Earlier, both Shivakumar and chief minister Siddaramaiah had met Rahul at the Mysuru airport. There were also reports that Rahul had asked Shivakumar to meet him in Delhi for discussions.Earlier in the day, home minister G Parameshwara said Shivakumar’s Delhi visit was purely organisational in nature. “He has gone to Delhi on the instructions of the AICC president. He has been given the responsibility for the Assam elections, and he has gone there for discussions related to that. Besides this, I am not aware of any other matter,” Parameshwara said.Before meeting Rahul, Shivakumar had said, “How can I disclose (what is discussed)? It is not a public issue to be discussed. It is between me, my party high command, and my chief minister.”
