"Should Be Solved Soon": Karnataka Minister To NDTV Amid Leadership Tussle

Satish Jarkiholi, Karnataka minister and Siddaramaiah loyalist, told NDTV today that he hoped that the row over the Chief Minister post - one that his boss Siddaramaiah described as "confusion" - be resolved soon. Asked for a timeline to the issue, he said, "This is not in our hands. The senior leaders, the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister , there should be some discussion". The bottomline, he made clear, is that "There should be clarity" and more importantly -- he would abide by the high command's decision if they opt for a change in leadership.

The row over the Chief Minister post has been sporadic since the top leaders of the party had persuaded DK Shivakumar - aspirant for the top post --  to be deputy to Siddaramaiah. 

This time it has started in earnest with the government completing the half-way mark in its five-year tenure. Leaders in the Shivakumar camp claim that the Central leadership had promised a rotation of the top post - a claim the Siddaramaiah camp has denied and the central leaders stayed silent on. 

Now Jarkiholi has met Shivakumar - amid speculation that he could still allow Siddaramaiah a full term. Asked about the matter, Jarkiholi insisted it was a routine meeting.,

"He (Shivakumar) is our leader. He is a politician. There is nothing new in meeting him. He is from our party. He is not from outside. There is nothing new," he said.

Earlier this week, Siddaramaiah, who initially had been denying the possibility of a change, admitted to "confusion" and asked the central leaders to sort it out. 

As a number of Shivakumar supporters headed for Delhi this week, Siddaramaiah said: "Let them go. MLAs have the freedom to go to Delhi... Ultimately, it's the high command that decides... Ultimately, to put a full stop to this confusion, the high command has to take a decision."

Shivakumar has refused to be drawn into any public debate. "I haven't asked for anything. The matter of leadership is between about five or six of us... I don't want to embarrass the party or make it seem weak. We are there because of the party and the workers," he has said.