- Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar have received calls from the high command to resolve the rift between them
- The top brass have also reportedly criticised the senior leaders for a literal war of "words"
- After the high command's criticism, Siddamaiah has invited Shivakumar for a meeting over breakfast
Amid an intense power tussle between Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy, DK Shivakumar, both have received calls from the Congress high command to resolve the apparent rift, sources said. After the nudge from the high command, Siddamaiah has invited Shivakumar for a meeting over breakfast tomorrow.
The top brass have also reportedly criticised the senior leaders for a literal war of "words".
On Thursday, Shivakumar wrote on X, "Keeping one's word is the greatest strength in the world! Word power is world power... The biggest force in the world was to keep one's word."
"Be a judge, president or anyone else, including myself, everyone has to walk the talk. Word power is world power," he wrote, in an apparent reminder to the Congress high command about a rumoured power-sharing agreement in 2023 when both Siddaramaiah and he eyed the Chief Minister's chair after the party won the state polls.
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Siddaramaiah responded soon after, with a cryptic post of his own: "A word is not power unless it betters the world for the people."
"The mandate given by the people of Karnataka is not a moment, but a responsibility that lasts five full years," read his post, which was seen as a direct attack on Shivakumar.
The exchange of "words" on social media also didn't go down well with top brass, the sources told NDTV.
Both leaders have now been asked to present a united front ahead of any meeting in Delhi in the days to come.
Siddaramaiah's Breakfast Invite To Siddaramaiah
This evening, the Chief Minister said that the high command has asked him to meet Shivakumar to discuss the issue. "So, I have called him (Shivakumar) for a breakfast meeting. When he comes for breakfast, we will discuss this."
"There is no change in my stand and I have said I will listen to whatever the high command says. Both of us have said that we will obey whatever the party high command says," Siddaramaiah said, adding he will go to Delhi if the high command calls him.
On his part, DK Shivakumar said today that he does not want anything and is not in a hurry. "The party workers may be eager, but I am in no hurry. The party will take all the decisions," DK Shivakumar told reporters.
The Rumoured 'Formula'
In 2023, reports emerged that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational chief minister formula", according to which Shivakumar will become Chief Minister after 2.5 years, but these have not been officially confirmed by the party.
The rumours intensified this month after the Congress government in the state reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20. They escalated into a full power tussle fuelled by public statements by various leaders, caste groups and religious figures.
When Shivakumar was asked about the so-called formula, he refused to give a straight answer and chose to throw a "secret deal" curveball.
"I have not asked to make me the Chief Minister. It is a secret deal between five and six of us. I don't want to speak publicly on this. I believe in my conscience. We should work with our conscience. I don't want to cause embarrassment to the party in any way and weaken it. If the party is there, we are there. If karyakartas are there, we are there," he said.
Earlier this month, a batch of six Congress legislators backing Shivakumar had travelled to Delhi to meet the high command, sources said. When Shivakumar was asked about this, he said he was not aware of it and that they might be making efforts to become ministers.
