K'taka Cong infighting: Pro-Shivakumar slogans erupt as KC Venugopal lands in Mangaluru

Mangaluru (Karnataka), Dec 3 Congress General Secretary and Lok Sabha member K.C. Venugopal faced an awkward moment when he came out of the Mangaluru International Airport on Wednesday as the supporters of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar raised slogans in his favour, demanding that he be made the CM.

This comes despite the breakfast meetings between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to showcase bonhomie.

Venugopal is scheduled to participate in the centenary celebrations to mark the 1925 meeting between Narayana Guru and Mahatma Gandhi in Mangaluru. He will attend the event along with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, while Shivakumar is not part of the programme. Party sources said the Siddaramaiah camp is using the event to showcase its strength. The Shivakumar camp is reportedly unhappy with this development.

Upon Venugopal’s arrival, senior Congress leader and MLC B.K. Hariprasad received him. As Venugopal stepped out of the airport, a large crowd of Shivakumar’s supporters gathered outside and raised slogans in his support. Chanting ‘DK’, ‘DK’, they created a situation in which party leaders had to struggle to escort Venugopal to his vehicle. The supporters also declared that they wanted to see Shivakumar become the next Chief Minister.

The centenary celebration, organised under the leadership of the Sivagiri Mutt in Varkala in collaboration with the Sri Narayana Guru Study Chair at Mangalore University, will commemorate both the historic dialogue between Mahatma Gandhi and Narayana Guru and the centenary of Narayana Guru’s Mahasamadhi. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will inaugurate the programme at Mangalore University, Mangalagangothri.

Before leaving for Mangaluru at 10 a.m., the Chief Minister met a group of MLAs and Ministers at his residence. He is scheduled to attend a series of events in Mangaluru throughout the day and return to Bengaluru by 5.30 p.m.

It can be recalled that hours after expressing solidarity with Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Tuesday amid the ongoing leadership "tussle" in the state, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah triggered a fresh row with his remark that nothing was permanent in politics.

Speaking to Congress MLA Belur Gopalakrishna, Siddaramaiah, unaware of the presence of media microphones, said, "Nothing is permanent in politics. I don't worry about anything; politics is not our father's property. I have never thought much of such matters. Whatever has to happen will happen."

According to political experts, these comments raised questions about the "truth" in CM Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar's joint assertion of unity.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah relished idlis and a non-vegetarian dish during a breakfast meeting at the residence of Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress President.

Addressing the media jointly with Shivakumar after the meeting, CM Siddaramaiah said they were like brothers and will continue to work together for the Congress.

On when Shivakumar would become the Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah said that he would assume the role whenever the high command decides.

Mocking their meeting, BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai said, "The breakfast meeting between the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister is just a teaser; the real movie is yet to come. The film will be released in a few days. Picture abhi baaki hai."

The former chief minister alleged that the "real situation" within the Congress will emerge in a few days.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor