Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy, DK Shivakumar, were all smiles in a show of 'unity' Monday morning amid rumours the Congress is plotting a top-down change of leadership to offset factionalism and internal divides in the southern state, one of only two it is in power in outright.
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar - who fought each other for the chief minister's post after the 2023 Assembly election, and whose respective camps have been circling and baiting each other since - held hands and high-fived each other at a public event in Mysuru.
Visuals shared by news agency ANI showed an initially gruff-looking Chief Minister break out into a smile, clasp Shivakumar's hand in his and hold it aloft. "Our government will last for five years... like a rock. We will come together," the Chief Minister declared, while his deputy grinned and remained silent.
Minutes earlier senior Congress leader RV Deshpande made a similar declaration, telling reporters Siddaramaiah will complete his five-year term as Chief Minister of Karnataka.
"Yes, Siddaramaiah will continue as Chief Minister for the full term. There is no proposal or discussion about changing... This topic has not come up in the legislature party meeting.. We are united.".
The Chief Minister's son, Yatindra Siddaramaiah, a Member of the Legislative Council, offered his backing too, and insisted his father would complete his second term in the top post.
READ | "No Talk Of Change Of Chief Minister By HQ": Siddaramaiah's Son
Talk of an overhaul of the state leadership - which now faces allegations from within of 'rampant corruption' and a 'collapsed administration', in addition to the Siddaramaiah-Shivakumar rift - gathered pace after the party dispatched senior leader and General Secretary Randeep Surjewala to Bengaluru.
Mr Surjewala reached the Karnataka capital this afternoon.
However, in his first remarks he spoke on the stampede deaths at the Jagannath Rath Yatra in Odisha and the death of three people after the final of the IPL cricket tourmanemt in Benglauru, telling reporters he proposed to raise issues concerning crowd control management and improved policing.
Pressed on the reasons for his visit, Mr Surjewala then said, "This is just an organisational meeting with Congress leaders... any talk of change of leadership is a figment of your imagination."
And asked for his take on the visit, the Chief Minister offered a similarly polite response, "He is coming to the state to strengthen the organisation. He will do his job". He also hit out at the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party for 'spreading lies' about the stability and future of the Congress government.
Earlier at least two Congress MLAs - BR Patil and Raju Kage - had less than complimentary remarks about their party's government, and joined a growing list of state leaders who have made problematic statements about the government and its functioning, raising questions about unity within the ranks.
Last week Siddaramaiah met both Patil and Kage to discuss their concerns.
A third MLA, Iqbal Hussain, claimed change "is something the High Command has in mind".
"When the time is right, the High Command will give an opportunity to DK Shivakumar. It is likely to happen this year. All leaders are talking about a big political churn. I am telling this straight... in two to three months a decision will come," he had said, underlining internal rifts.
Much of the buzz about Shivakumar replacing Siddaramaiah has been fuelled by Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna, who complained about 'power centres' punching holes in the Congress' state leadership. "When power centres increase... issues also increase," he said, hinting at changes in September.
September (or thereabouts), incidentally, will be the half-way point in Siddaramaiah's term.
In 2023, after the Congress' election win and after Shivakumar backed down to allow Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister, there were reports of an informal agreement - that Siddu, as the Chief Minister is sometimes called, and Shivakumar would each rule for two-and-a-half years.
That 'deadline' was hinted at by Shivakumar loyalists too; earlier in June multiple leaders publicly loyal to the Deputy Chief Minister had spoken of a big event in December.
Asked about his ministerial ambitions, MLA Basavaraju Shivaganga told reporters, "Let's talk about these things after December. If my boss becomes Chief Minister, it is almost like I have..."
The BJP, meanwhile, has jumped on the factionalism and charges of financial irregularities, including the Mysuru Urban Development Authority land scam involving the Chief Minister.
The opposition party has demanded Siddaramaiah's resignation.
With input from agencies
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