Bengaluru, Feb 10 Amid ongoing speculation over leadership issues within the ruling Congress in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said any decision taken by the party high command would be final.
His remark came in response to Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president D.K. Shivakumar’s recent statement that both leaders were clear about discussions held in the presence of the party leadership.
“I will not comment on Shivakumar’s statements. Whatever the high command decides is final. Do not ask questions as you wish. If he has made a statement, you should ask him. I don’t know. Whatever the high command says, I am committed to it,” the Chief Minister said.
On whether he planned to visit Delhi, Siddaramaiah said, “Why should I go to Delhi without being invited? I have work here related to budget preparation. If they invite me, I will go.”
Responding to questions on Shivakumar’s absence from the budget preparation meeting, Siddaramaiah said the deputy chief minister had sought permission and informed him through a letter that he was scheduled to attend a meeting in Delhi related to the Assam Assembly election.
When asked about the Supreme Court’s observation that it would not tolerate obstruction to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Siddaramaiah said he would study the matter before commenting.
“I do not know under what circumstances the Supreme Court made the observation. I will go through it and then make a statement,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Siddaramaiah offered floral tributes to former Chief Minister Kengal Hanumanthaiah at his statue on the western side of Vidhana Soudha on the occasion of his birth anniversary. He later spoke to the media.
Meanwhile, signs of strain within the state Congress unit have continued to surface. Earlier, Shivakumar had said both he and the Chief Minister were aligned with discussions held in the presence of the party leadership.
“We are going according to what we spoke,” Shivakumar said, triggering fresh political speculation.
He also asked party leaders to avoid public statements on leadership matters in the interest of the party. The remark was seen as a response to comments by Congress MLC Yathindra, Siddaramaiah’s son, who had said the Chief Minister would complete a full term and that attempts to remove him had been rejected by the central leadership.
Speaking to the media in Bengaluru before leaving for Delhi, Shivakumar said, “Other people may have confusion; we don’t have any. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and I know what we have spoken.”
“Leaders are making statements and getting tense,” he said, referring to recent remarks by party leaders.
He added, “The Chief Minister and I know what we spoke about. We did not speak separately or in secret. Siddaramaiah, I, and the party leadership spoke together, and we are acting according to that understanding.”
When asked about reports that notices were being issued to leaders for speaking on leadership matters, while such rules did not apply to the Chief Minister’s son, Shivakumar said, “Let us ask the high command.”
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