Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], November 28 : Karnataka continues to be in the grip of Political uncertainty as the Congress battles a leadership crisis over a possible change in the Chief Minister. However, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Friday dismissed speculation over discussions regarding a change of leadership in the state, asserting that Congress is united and will remain united.
Following the meeting with Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, he said that he met the Deputy Chief Minister as he had an administrative problem.
Speaking to reporters, Priyank Kharge said, "If I have an administrative problem, I will go to my CM and DCM. I wanted clarification in the urban body. That is why I come. Tomorrow, if I meet Kharge also, you will ask what you discussed politically? Unnecessary speculation is not necessary. What did CM say? High command. So where is the ambiguity coming from? The ambiguity is only in the Media and the BJP, not in public or with Congress."
Priyank Kharge's visit to the Deputy CM comes ahead of a possible meeting between DK Shivakumar and the Congress leadership consisting of President Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi. Shivakumar is expected to leave on Friday for Delhi.
However, Priyank Kharge played down the reports urging the media not to indulge in any speculations. He said that the Chief Minister and DCM have already said that if the high command summons them, they will go.
"I don't know where this information is coming from. Everyone said if our incharge Randeep Singh Surjewala or the AICC president summons, they will go. The Chief Minister and DCM have already said that if the high command summons them, they will go. Let them call, and we will see. The high command will assess the time and the situation and then decide. It is nothing new. The party has been carried forward for 130 years. Whenever intervention is needed, they will do it."
Reacting to speculations that Rahul Gandhi is going to hold a meeting with the CM and DCM he said, "How do you know? CM, DCM, KPCC president or as a cabinet minister, even I don't know. They will intervene at the right time when it is necessary.
Earlier, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar asserted that he is "not in a hurry for anything" and had not held any talks with senior Congress leaders about the chief minister's post.
Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Shivakumar categorically denied meeting Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge or Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi during his visit to the city.
"I have come for a family function. There was no meeting or anything. Why would I come to a meeting in Mumbai? If there has to be a meeting, it will be in Bangalore or Delhi," he said.
Responding to questions about whether he had raised the issue of the Karnataka Chief Minister's post with the party leadership, the Deputy Chief Minister said, "No... I am not in a hurry for anything."
Shivakumar's remarks come amid growing speculation about a change in the Chief Ministerial face of Karnataka, fueled by the "power-sharing agreement" of 2023 between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, which has been cited frequently in political circles.