Karnataka Congress MLAs camp in Delhi amid cabinet reshuffle buzz, while party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and CM Siddaramaiah hold discussions. DK Shivakumar asserts all 140 MLAs are united under him.
Karnataka Congress MLAs camp in Delhi amid cabinet reshuffle buzz, while party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and CM Siddaramaiah hold discussions. DK Shivakumar asserts all 140 MLAs are united under him. (Image Credit: India Today)
NEW DELHI/BENGALURU: Even as several of the Congress MLAs from Karnataka camped in the national capital amid the buzz of reshuffling of cabinet in the southern state, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge spoke to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and had a detailed discussion with him.
While Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday also clarified that all 140 party MLAs belong to him and "making a group is not in his blood".
With several of the Karnataka MLAs camping in Delhi and making a beeline at Kharge residence since yesterday to make a claim for their chances on getting a ministerial berth, the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha spoke to Siddaramaiah for over 10 minutes late last night, sources said.
The sources said that Kharge spoke to Siddaramaiah discussed the planned reshuffling in the state.
Despite Kharge speaking to Siddaramaiah, several MLAs on Friday afternoon arrived at his residence to meet him.
After meeting two more MLAs during the day, Kharge left for Bengaluru.
Most of the MLAs who last night met with Kharge were mostly said to be Shivakumar loyalist.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Congress incharge and party's general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala also clarified that he had a discussion with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar and both of them agreed that BJP was running a maligning campaign against Congress government in the southern state.
In a post on X, Surjewala said, "Had a discussion with Karnataka CM and Deputy CM and they agreed that a decisively defeated and faction ridden Karnataka BJP, alongwith a section of the media, are designedly running a maligning campaign against Karnataka and its Congress Government.
"The sole idea is to undermine the stellar achievements and 5 Congress Govt Guarantees, which have become an outstanding model of inclusive development and distributive justice," Surjewala said.
He also asserted that the needless statements of some Congress leaders and MLA’s has also added to the speculation.
"Congress has sternly warned them from making any public statements on the issue of leadership or falling for the agenda being propagated by the vested interests. The opinion of various party functionaries has been taken note of by the leadership," he added.
Meanwhile, Shivakumar while speaking to the media in Bengaluru said, "All 140 MLAs are my MLAs. Making a group is not in my blood."
He said that the Chief Minister decided to reshuffle the cabinet. Everyone wants to become a minister, so it is quite natural for them to meet the leadership in Delhi.
"It is their right. We can’t stop them and say no. The Chief Minister has said that he will complete five years. I wish him all the best. We will all work with him.
Both the Chief Minister and me have time and again said we abide by the high command," Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Congress chief said.
TDG was first publication to report on the cabinet reshuffling in Karnataka under Kamraj model and that there will be no change in chief ministerial face in the state.
Even Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had on number of occasions said that he had got a green signal from leadership for a reshuffling in the state and he had told them to carry it on completion of two and half years of the government.
