Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], December 2 : Following the second breakfast meeting with Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday reaffirmed that the Congress leaders are "united" and will run the Congress government together.
Amid a tussle over the CM post in Karnataka, when asked about DK Shivakumar becoming the Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah said, "When the High Command says."
CM Siddaramaiah had earlier met Deputy CM DK Shivakumar at his residence over a second breakfast meeting between the two. After Idli-Sambar and Upma in their first meeting, DK Shivakumar hosted Siddaramaiah with steaming plates of traditional Nati chicken and Idlis.
Addressing the joint press conference in Bengaluru, the Chief Minister said that a meeting with the high command is also on the cards.
He said, "Me and DK Shivakumar are united. We will run the government together in the future as well. All our MLAs are united, and unitedly we will face the opposition. We are in the same party, we follow the same ideology, and we work together. In the future, too, both of us will work together and bring the party back to power."
"After breakfast, we discussed the assembly session. It was decided that we should call a meeting of the MLAs on December 8. We will discuss farmers' issues and other issues of the state. Both of us will accept the decision taken by the high command, especially Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Mallikarjun Kharge. If they (the party high command) call us (to Delhi), we will definitely go. Tomorrow I am meeting KC Venugopal at a function where both of us are invited."
Downplaying the speculated leadership conflict, Siddaramaiah said that they were always united.
"This unity is not something new today; we have always been united. Whatever decision Rahul Gandhi makes, we will act accordingly; that is what I have said."
The Chief Minister raised the MSP issue, affirming the government's support for maize and sugarcane farmers.
He said, "I have come for breakfast at his (Dy CM DK Shivakumar) residence. DK Shivakumar came to my place for breakfast, and he invited me to come for breakfast or lunch at his house. So I came today, and we had breakfast. We discussed party-related matters. More importantly, the Assembly session is starting next Monday. They said they will bring a no-confidence motion. BJP and JD(S) are planning to oppose whatever decisions we take. Our government is pro-farmer. We also discussed issues related to maize and sugarcane. I have spoken to the farmers, and the government has decided the price. I have also spoken to farmers, poultry farmers and fishery farmers."
DK Shivakumar also affirmed the government's commitment towards development in the state.
"Honoured to welcome the Hon'ble Chief Minister to my residence today. We stand committed to the development of Karnataka and the progress of our people," Shivakumar wrote on X.
Kunigal MLA Ranganath and Shivakumar's brother and former MP DK Suresh were also present there for the breakfast meeting.
The internal disagreement over the CM post, rooted in the "power-sharing agreement" of 2023, has pushed both leaders to meet for the second time, attempting to avoid a full-blown crisis.
This meeting follows a high-level interaction between the two leaders on the morning of November 29 at Siddaramaiah's Cauvery residence.