Karnataka leadership tussle: Shivakumar leaves for Delhi, Siddaramaiah holds luncheon with Venugopal

Bengaluru, Dec 3 Amid the ongoing leadership tussle in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar left for Delhi on Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is having a luncheon with National General Secretary and Congress MP K.C. Venugopal in Mangaluru, along with AHINDA leaders and ministers.

The developments have triggered fresh speculation.

Speaking to the media in Mangaluru before the luncheon, when asked about Shivakumar’s visit to Delhi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, “Let him go. Who has stopped him?”

When asked about his own travel plans, Siddaramaiah replied, “I will go to Delhi only if I am called. I have not been invited, and I am not going. If anything of that sort was to happen, Venugopal would have informed me.”

Speaking in Bengaluru before leaving for Delhi, Shivakumar said, “I am going to Delhi. First, I have to attend a private wedding ceremony this evening. It is the wedding of the daughter of an IAS officer who is my friend. Second, on December 14, there is a large-scale event at Ramleela Maidan on vote-chori in Delhi. I have asked all my cabinet ministers to take 300 people from every district to Delhi. I have also conveyed this message to all MLAs.”

“We started the vote-chori campaign in this country. We have to participate in large numbers. The CM has also conveyed his message in this regard. There are chances of the programme being postponed,” he said.

When asked about Siddaramaiah and Venugopal attending an event together, Shivakumar said, “It is good. What is wrong if Siddaramaiah meets Venugopal? What is wrong if he meets AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge? They discuss party matters.”

Responding to questions on slogans raised in favour of him and the Chief Minister, Shivakumar said, “Admirers raise slogans. In politics, there will be slogans for us and against us. We cannot bother too much about it.”

According to the official schedule, Shivakumar will attend a wedding ceremony at Hotel Le Meridien and stay overnight in Delhi. On Thursday morning, he will leave Delhi at 8 a.m. and reach Bengaluru at 10.55 a.m.

Sources said Shivakumar may meet national leaders informally at the wedding ceremony and discuss issues related to the leadership tussle in Karnataka. He is also likely to meet national leaders during his overnight stay in Delhi. He will also try to meet Rahul Gandhi and Randeep Singh Surjewala.

Meanwhile, CM Siddaramaiah and K.C. Venugopal were seen engaged in a serious discussion on stage during a programme at Mangalore University. After the event, Venugopal and Siddaramaiah had a luncheon with Ministers G. Parameshwara, H.C. Mahadevappa, Satish Jarkiholi, Laxmi Hebbalkar, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Zameer Ahmad Khan, and MLC B.K. Hariprasad and other prominent leaders.

Sources revealed that Siddaramaiah will hold discussions with Venugopal along with ministers associated with the AHINDA group.

When asked about the luncheon meeting, Minister for Women and Child Welfare Laxmi Hebbalkar said, “There won’t be any political discussions. I don’t know about it. You (media) will have to ask the leaders.”

Notably, Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar was not invited to the programme attended by Siddaramaiah and Venugopal. Sources say the platform is being used to showcase Siddaramaiah’s strength and send a clear message to the high command.

Earlier in the day, supporters of Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar raised slogans demanding that he be made Chief Minister, while followers of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah countered them with chants of “Siddu full-term CM” on his arrival in Mangaluru.

Pro-Shivakumar slogans were also raised earlier when Congress General Secretary and Lok Sabha member K.C. Venugopal arrived in Mangaluru, putting him in an awkward position at the airport.

Later, a large number of supporters, led by local leaders, raised slogans after Siddaramaiah exited the airport and received state honours from the district administration. In response, Siddaramaiah’s supporters shouted slogans backing him, adding to the embarrassment for the party.

Senior leader and Congress MLC Ivan D’Souza was seen chanting “Siddu full-term CM” and encouraging others to do the same.

Except for Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, most ministers attending the event identify themselves with the AHINDA group. Siddaramaiah is widely seen as the leader of the AHINDA masses.

AHINDA is a Kannada acronym for Alpasankhyataru (Minorities), Hindulidavaru (Backward Classes), and Dalitaru (Dalits). Minister Hebbalkar, in charge of Udupi district, is a close associate of Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar.

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