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Bengaluru, Nov 24 (IANS) Amid the ongoing leadership tussle in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president DK Shivakumar on Monday defused the tension by declaring that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s word is “final” and described him as a “great asset” to the party.
Responding to media queries at his residence near Shidlaghatta on Monday and later at Sadashivnagar in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said, “Siddaramaiah is a great asset to the party. We are working under his guidance.”
When asked about Siddaramaiah’s comment that everyone, including Shivakumar, should accept the high command’s decision, he replied, “We all respect the high command. Neither I nor anyone else has talked about power-sharing.”
Shivakumar said, “The media is unnecessarily creating news about this. It is you who are creating unwanted confusion. I and everyone else have no confusion. If there is anything, I and the party high command will sort it out. Whatever decisions will be taken will be within the internal framework of the closed room.”
When asked if he had not met AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge yet, he said, “I met him in Delhi only the previous day. Is it right to meet him again and again without any reason? If the situation demands, I will go and meet him. I will seek time after he returns from Delhi. There is no need to trouble him unnecessarily.”
He said, “You (media) don’t even allow me or him to move around freely – you stand at the door. ‘DK Shivakumar went in, came out, had coffee, had breakfast, talked for 40-50 minutes’ – you keep raising concerns with such reports. In fact, the media is troubling everyone more than anyone else. None of us have any issues.”
When MLA HC Balakrishna was asked about going to Delhi, he said, “He may aspire to become a minister. What’s wrong in that? He is going. Can we tell people not to go to Delhi? The party office in Delhi is like a temple for all of us. People go there to make their future.”
On whether this is a violation of party discipline, he said, “Violations occur when someone makes anti-party statements, forms groups, holds dinner meetings to work against the party. Now what is the violation? Has anyone spoken against the party? As a cabinet reshuffle is expected, they have gone in hoping for an opportunity.”
Asked about the role of the high command and the JD(S)-BJP’s taunt that Mallikarjun Kharge is a ‘rubber-stamp president’, he replied, “Why did Mallikarjun Kharge mention the high command? Because the party has a committee of many leaders.
“When I became KPCC president, could I take a sudden decision on my own? Recently, while finalizing the four names, I had discussed with Siddaramaiah, district in-charge ministers, president and candidates,” he said.
He further added, “After consultation, I told: So many people have applied, this is their opinion, this is their background. In that context, Mallikarjun Kharge said what he said. When we say ‘Election Committee’, does one person decide everything? Many people sit together and take decisions.”
–IANS
MKA/PGH