Mallikarjun Kharge To Mediate Karnataka Power Tussle, Says 'High Command Will Make Decision' Amid DKS' 'Walk The Talk' Post

Bengaluru: Amid speculation over the Karnataka Chief Ministerial post, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said a decision will be made after a discussion among the high command, CM Siddaramiah, and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar.

The speculation stirred as the Karnataka government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Kharge stated that it will be a collective decision.

"I will call everyone and have a discussion. Rahul Gandhi will also remain present in that discussion. Other members will also remain present. CM and Dy CM will also remain present. The decision will be made after a discussion with all of these. There is a team. I am not alone. The entire high command team will discuss and make a decision," he told reporters.

Earlier today, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar shared a social media post amid speculation of a power tussle between him and CM Siddaramaiah, reiterating, “Keeping one's word is the greatest strength in the world.”

In the X post, which is speculatively directed at the Congress high command, DK Shivakumar asked everyone, including himself, to keep their promises.

The post read, "Word power is world power. The biggest force in the world was to keep one's word. Be it a judge, president or anyone else, including myself, everyone has to walk the talk."

Earlier on Wednesday, senior Congress MLA and former minister KN Rajanna said the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) should decide the chief minister, and hence "dissolve the assembly and face elections". He said it was the CLP which had elected Siddaramaiah as the CM.

"Let's dissolve (the Assembly) and face the elections. Then let's work together under the leadership of DK Shivakumar and come up with a majority. Then let him serve as the CM for 5 years. Wasn't it the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) that elected Siddaramaiah? Now the decision should be made by the CLP," the Congress MLA told reporters.

However, Rajanna favoured Siddaramaiah and also threw in the name of state home minister G Parameshwara, suggesting him as the "second option" for the Chief Minister's post.

"The high command said not to talk about leadership. That's why I won't talk about it. My personal wish is that Siddaramaiah should be the CM for five years. The AICC will clarify in the next couple of days. Otherwise, the second option is that Dr G Parameshwara should become the CM," he said.

While CM Siddaramaiah has termed it an "unnecessary debate" and DK Shivakumar reiterated his loyalty to the Congress and dismissed speculation over his resignation as Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President, Deputy CM has also sought a meeting with senior party leader Sonia Gandhi on November 29 to discuss the ongoing issues. 

‘Will Discuss Party Issues In Four Walls’: DK Shivakumar 

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday asserted that all party-related issues would be discussed internally and not in the public. Speaking to the reporters in Bengaluru, DKS said, “I don't want to speak about anything in the media. We will discuss the party's issues in the four walls, not in the media. There is no other discussion, only to keep the party flag high, to keep this Constitution high and protect the Constitution...”

He also dismissed talk of internal differences in the Congress, saying there was "no confusion" in the party and that all 140 MLAs belonged to "one group" with no separate factions or demands.

"There is no confusion. No one should demand anything. There are no groups. There is only one group- the Congress group. Our group is of 140 MLAs," Shivakumar said. 

When asked if he would be visiting Delhi, Shivakumar said that he would seek time if needed, as he wants to finalise candidates for four MLC seats. "I will seek time if anything is there because I want to finalise the candidates for the four MLC seats. I wanted to reorganise the KPCC trust and our properties. I want to discuss it with senior leaders of the party," he said. On being asked about a group of Congress MLAs demanding him to become the Chief Minister, Shivakumar said, "I don't have any group here."