Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar has reignited speculations of a possible shift in the state leadership by asking Congress workers "to prepare for a change in the state in coming days" -- remarks he made while sharing the dais with chief minister Siddaramaiah during a government event in Hassan.
The remarks come after Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah hosted each other for breakfast at their residences within a span of four days, in a bid to project a unified face amid a tussle for the top position in the state.
Speaking first at the government services dedication conclave in Hassan on Saturday, Shivakumar said: "We should prepare for a change in the state in coming days to give new strength and shape." His remarks, albeit cryptic, further fuelled speculations of growing unease within the ruling Congress over the leadership issue.
Addressing the audience, ostensibly party workers and supporters, Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Congress president, said: "Our lives are not permanent; what we leave behind is permanent. I keep saying that God doesn't give a curse or blessings, he just gives opportunities. What we do with those opportunities is important." He also underscored the importance of personal commitments, remarking, "Our word must be measured, and work should be of utmost importance."
On December 2, Shivakumar met Siddaramaiah over a breakfast at his Bengaluru residence four just days after the CM had hosted the state Congress chief for a breakfast -- with both meetings were seen as carefully choreographed events at the behest of the party high command in a bid to present a picture of unity.
The two meeting came after months of reports about internal divisions in the state -- driven by Shivakumar's desire to be elevated to the top job, and Siddaramaiah's reluctance to make way. All of this played out amid talk of an agreement between the two leaders over power sharing after the 2023 assembly elections, with each having a two-and-half year run. That milestone was crossed in October.
Meetings, group visits to Delhi and a flurry of symbolic gestures have kept the issue alive despite public denials by both leaders. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has also repeatedly said the party top brass would meet the two leaders and take a call over the leadership issue.
In a cryptic post on X on November 27, Shivakumar said: "Word power is world power. Keeping one's word is the greatest strength in the world!" The post was widely viewed as a nudge to the Congress leadership about the alleged power-sharing understanding. Siddaramaiah responded hours later, reframing the notion of commitment. "A word is not power unless it betters the world for the people," the CM said in a post on X.
At the Hassan event, Siddaramaiah said: "I usually don't promise... But when I do, I will always act according to it. If there is ever a government that has acted according to promises given, it is our government."