Shivakumar wishes CM Siddaramaiah 'all the best'

Bengaluru, Nov 21 (PTI) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday wished Chief Minister Siddaramaiah "all the best" after he said that he would complete a five year term in office.

The Deputy CM said there was nothing wrong with MLAs going and meeting leaders in Delhi when the Cabinet reshuffle is on the cards.

Reacting to Siddaramaiah’s statement in Mysuru on Friday that he would not only complete five year tenure but also present budgets in the future, Shivakumar said, "The CM has said he will complete five years. I wish him all the best. We will all work together." He further said, "Look, the CM has spoken his mind. I will not comment on it. He has said that it’s between him and the party high command. He has said that he will obey whatever the party high command says. We will stick to whatever the party high command says." There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the chief minister's post after the declaration of Assembly election results on 20 May 2023, and the Congress had managed to convince the latter and made him the Deputy CM.

There were some reports at the time that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational chief minister formula," according to which Shivakumar will become CM after two-and-a-half years, but they have not been officially confirmed by the party.

Shivakumar, who is also the Congress state president, said he did not believe in factionalism.

"I don’t have any faction. I am not the leader of any faction. I am the president of the 140 (Congress) MLAs. To me, all the 140 MLAs are important. I am neither interested in taking any group with me nor I want to form any group. I will not do that. Forming any group is not in my blood. All 140 are my MLAs," he told reporters here.

Shivakumar said since the CM had decided to carry out a Cabinet reshuffle, it was quite natural for the MLAs aspiring to become ministers to visit Delhi and hold meetings with leaders there.

According to him, no one has called the MLAs, but they are voluntarily going.

"They are showing their presence that they are at the forefront and they can do the work and they want responsibility. All our party members are eligible to become ministers and chief minister," Shivakumar said.

All MLAs are eligible to go and meet their leaders and no one can stop them, he added.

On some leaders having a dinner meeting hosted by Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi, the Deputy CM said he had no clue about it.

He, however, said that those grouping at Jarkiholi’s residence want a new state Congress president and four to five Deputy CMs.

"All the meetings have been going on for the past two-and-half years. There is nothing new. Let them conduct more meetings," Shivakumar said. PTI GMS GMS KH