Bengaluru/New Delhi: Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar and his brother and former MP DK Suresh, held late-night meetings with AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and organisational general secretary KC Venugopal in Delhi, developments that have drawn attention amid renewed speculation over a possible change of CM.Shivakumar was in Delhi to attend a strategy meeting for the Assam assembly elections but stayed back after the meeting and met Kharge and Venugopal separately. He did not meet Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi.
Sources say brothers conveyed to the party leadership that delays in implementing the reported power-sharing pact — under which chief minister Siddaramaiah was expected to hand over the post to Shivakumar — were affecting the party’s image and could hurt its prospects in upcoming local body elections and the Bagalkot and Davanagere South assembly bypolls. “They also objected to the high command’s failure to restrain Siddaramaiah’s son, Yathindra, who has made public remarks against the party’s interests,” a source said. Sources said Kharge and Venugopal did not commit to any timeline on a possible transition, stating that the issue required a collective decision. Shivakumar and Suresh did not comment on the meetings.Earlier, Suresh urged Siddaramaiah to “keep his word” and step down. “Even today, I hope that, though delayed, he (Siddaramaiah) will keep his word,” Suresh told reporters when asked about his earlier remarks on an alleged pact that Shivakumar will take over as CM at the halfway mark of the govt’s tenure.Shivakumar had also alluded to the pact Tuesday, saying there was “no confusion” on the issue and that he and Siddaramaiah had “discussed the matter in the presence of the Congress high command”. Reacting to Suresh’s remarks, Siddaramaiah reiterated that both he and Shivakumar will abide by the party high command’s decision. “The high command is aware, they will decide. I will abide by their decision. How many times should I tell you (reporters) this?” Siddaramaiah said. He added, “You (reporters) keep asking me the same thing. Don’t you have anything else to ask?” Meanwhile, Suresh said Shivakumar’s visit to Delhi and his meeting with party brass should not be viewed through a “personal lens”. “While some meet the high command for personal favours, Shivakumar is not such a character,” Suresh said. Taking a swipe at Siddaramaiah’s son and MLC Yathindra over his recent remarks that his father would serve as CM for the full five years, Suresh said, “I’m not as influential or knowledgeable as he is. Whatever he says is final.” He also backed Ramanagara MLA Iqbal Hussain, who questioned why he was issued a party notice for speaking on the issue while Yathindra faced no such action. “Party policy should be the same for all,” Suresh said. Hussain was served a notice for publicly backing Shivakumar for the CM post.
