BENGALURU: Amid speculations of a leadership change in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who also serves as KPCC president ruled out the possibility of him replacing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and asked his supporters to refrain from issuing public statements along this line.
Addressing a joint press conference with AICC general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, whose meeting with senior party MLAs further exacerbated the speculations, Shivakumar said, “Randeep Singh Surjewala is here to receive pleas from MLAs and also give guidance on party organisation. He is trying to bring in discipline in the party amidst public statements by some of the MLAs."
"Neither the Cabinet expansion nor the leadership change was discussed. We are not in a hurry for that and our only focus is 2028,” he stressed.
Surjewala also stressed that there has been no discussion in the line of a leadership in the state.
"Some of you asked me are you taking opinion on leadership change. The answer I had given yesterday also and I am answering again today-- the answer is clearly 'no' in one word," he said.
He claimed that his meeting were only intended at reviewing the performances of the Congress legislators.
"If I'm an MLA, I'm obliged to ensure that my accountability to the people and the election promises of the Congress party are fulfilled in my constituency. So, I am asking my MLAs to give their report cards," he said.
Speaking to reporters after the joint press conference Shivakumar reiterated that Surjewala's meetings were to discuss party organisation and hear the pleas of the MLAs.
"It is in the backdrop of the Congress party changing district and block-level office bearers across the country," he stressed.
He further said AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge has declared 2025 as the year of organisation and has instructed that District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents be empowered. Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretaries recently held a meeting with DCC presidents in Delhi, he added.
Reacting to Ramanagara MLA Iqbal Hussain’s recent statement pushing for the deputy CM's elevation to chief minister, Shivakumar said, “I will serve him a notice. No one should make public statements on this. Siddaramaiah is the CM, and we all should strengthen his hand and the government as well.”
When asked about Karnataka Planning Commission Deputy Chairman B.R. Patil’s dissatisfaction over grants, Shivakumar responded that the state’s budget has allocated Rs 1 lakh crore for development, Rs 54,000 crore for guarantee schemes, and Rs 19,000 crore for providing electricity to farmers. “Isn’t this development?”, he questioned.
On Malur MLA Nanjegowda’s claim that Shivakumar had promised to make him the KMF chief, the Deputy CM said, “Political developments are different and the cooperative sector is different. I will not comment on that now.”
It is noteworthy that Shivakumar’s younger brother, D.K. Suresh, the former Bengaluru Rural MP, who was recently elected as Bamul president, is now aspiring to become the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) chief.