CM Siddaramaiah meets Kharge amid talks of reshuffle in Karnataka

New Delhi, Nov 17 (PTI) Amid talks of a reshuffle in the Karnataka government, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence here on Monday evening.

While Congress leaders called it a courtesy meeting, sources said Siddaramaiah is learnt to have discussed Cabinet expansion in the state with Kharge.

For some time now, there have been talks in the state's political circles, especially within the ruling Congress, about changing the chief minister, citing a "power-sharing" agreement involving Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress president.

However, Shivakumar has rubbished talks of his resignation as the state Congress chief, saying he remains a disciplined soldier of the party.

Shivakumar had met the Congress leadership on Sunday.

Siddaramaiah also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Delhi, accompanied by Shivakumar.

During the meeting with the prime minister, the chief minister discussed the issue of sugarcane farmers and pending approvals for the Mahadayi and Mekedatu water projects, official sources said.

Siddaramaiah later said he asked Prime Minister Modi about the management of the state's excess rainfall situation and for providing a permanent solution to the problems of sugarcane farmers.

"I asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the state's various irrigation projects. I have also submitted a request to the prime minister to grant approval for the establishment of an IIT in Raichur," the chief minister said on X.

On November 6, Siddaramaiah wrote to the prime minister seeking an appointment to discuss the sugarcane farmers' issue, amid their protest demanding a higher price of Rs 3,500 per tonne for their produce.

In the letter, he claimed that the root of the problem lies in central policy levers: The Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) formula, the stagnating Minimum Support Price (MSP) for sugar, export curbs, and the under-utilised ethanol off take from sugar-based feedstock. PTI SKC ARI