Bengaluru, July 8 Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D. K. Shivakumar, visit to the national capital has gained significance amid ongoing talks of leadership change, power-sharing, and infighting within the party.
Both leaders are expected to meet the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday night.
Shivakumar left for Delhi on Tuesday morning and is scheduled to meet Union Minister for Jal Shakti, C.R. Patil, and Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, later in the day.
Meanwhile, despite gag orders from the high command, state Congress leaders continue to make statements on the leadership issue.
Congress MLA C.P. Yogeshwara, speaking to the media on Tuesday, stated that he wants to see Deputy CM Shivakumar become the Chief Minister. He said all MLAs from the region are backing Shivakumar for the CM post and that there is no disagreement in this regard.
"The people of the region also want it to happen," Yogeshwara said.
"We, the MLAs, are demanding it. The high command will have to make the decision. I don't want a ministerial post; I only want Shivakumar to become the CM," Yogeshwara added.
Shivakumar refrained from making any comments while departing for Delhi from Bengaluru this morning.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is scheduled to leave for Delhi on Wednesday morning and will meet Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during the visit.
Sources have confirmed that both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar will meet Gandhi on Wednesday night, though it is unclear whether the meetings will be held jointly or separately.
The sources said that the high command is worried about the turn of events in Karnataka.
CM Siddaramaiah has reiterated that he will serve a full five-year term, while Shivakumar has maintained that if not by effort, then by prayer, his aspirations will be fulfilled.
Meanwhile, the influential Rambhapuri seer has urged the party's leadership and Siddaramaiah to implement a power-sharing arrangement and make way for Shivakumar.
On another front, even as CM Siddaramaiah has denied being appointed as Chairperson of the Congress party's National OBC Advisory Committee, the BJP has claimed that this is part of a plan to remove him from the Chief Minister's post.
The Karnataka BJP has described it as a "ploy" by the Congress leadership to "sideline" Siddaramaiah.
Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah's son and Congress MLC, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, has stated that his father would continue as CM for the full term, as he was appointed based on the collective opinion of the party's MLAs. He maintained that there is no power-sharing agreement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.
In addition, Congress National General Secretary and Karnataka in-charge, Randeep Singh Surjewala, is scheduled to hold one-on-one meetings with party MLAs in the state on Tuesday.
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