Bengaluru, April 17 (IANS) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President, D.K. Shivakumar, on Friday played down his meeting with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s close aide and Public Works Department (PWD) Minister, Satish Jarkiholi.
Amid the party facing backlash over the initiation of action against minority leaders, rapid developments are taking place within the state Congress.
Jarkiholi met Shivakumar at his government residence in Kumara Park in Bengaluru on Friday morning and held discussions.
Congress insiders said that during the Cabinet meeting, a group of ministers objected to the move to initiate action against two minority MLCs and strongly argued that it could alienate the Muslim community from the party. While, another group supported the action. In this context, the meeting between Shivakumar and Jarkiholi has gained significance.
When asked about his meeting with Jarkiholi, the Dy CM Shivakumar said, “We discussed party affairs and how to work together for the party.”
He further said, “Of course, he is our leader and we have to work together. We have to bring the party back to power in 2028. You can take it from me — the Congress party will come to power in Karnataka once again. I am a thousand per cent confident about this.”
“Minister Satish and I belong to the same party. We also discussed how to divert vehicles entering Bengaluru. There is a traffic jam lasting nearly 30 minutes on the stretch between Nelamangala and Goraguntepalya. I have given some proposals in this regard. We discussed what can be done before the NICE Junction to reduce traffic congestion and how to prevent excess vehicles from entering the city,” Shivakumar said.
Responding to a question on the Delhi visit of senior MLAs and a Cabinet reshuffle, he said, “We cannot talk about it now, the election process has to conclude first, and that is our priority. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and I are leaving for Delhi to attend the ‘Bricks to Bengaluru’ event. Representatives of various companies, ambassadors, and eminent dignitaries from across the world will be present. The event is being organised by the IT and BT Ministry, and both of us will be representing the state.”
Congress sources state that Shivakumar is not in favour of a Cabinet reshuffle as it would allow Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to continue in the CM’s post. However, CM Siddaramaiah’s camp has ensured that a group of senior MLAs reached Delhi and met the national leadership urging for a Cabinet reshuffle.
K.N. Rajanna, B. Nagendra, who were stripped of their Cabinet positions were close to CM Siddaramaiah. MLCs Abdul Jabbar and Naseer Ahmad, who lost their party positions are also close to the CM.
Speaking to reporters, Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment Eshwar Khandre, reacting to development, stated, “Congress leaders will take a final call on internal matters.”
He said he had left the Cabinet meeting early and was not aware of the details of the discussions. He termed the issue an internal party matter and said the high command would take an appropriate decision.
“All this will be taken care of by our senior leaders. I am just a Congress worker. I may be a senior, but decision-making lies with the high command. The Chief Minister and the KPCC president will sit together and take a decision in the interest of the party,” he said.
He added that he was not aware of the views expressed by other ministers during the meeting but expressed confidence that the party leadership would resolve the issue.
–IANS
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