My only group is Congress group: DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar met face-to-face over breakfast on Friday, following the Congress high command’s instruction to sit together and clear the air over the ongoing leadership debate.
The meeting took place at the CM’s official residence, Cauvery, and lasted for about 40 minutes. With the past one week filled with speculation over power-sharing, factional politics and rumours of internal tension, the breakfast meeting had drawn considerable curiosity.
After the meeting, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar addressed a joint press conference.
Siddaramaiah said both leaders had agreed to follow the directions of the party’s senior leadership. He insisted that neither ministers nor MLAs were against the government. He added that since the Assembly session is coming up, the high command asked both leaders to remove any confusion. “From tomorrow, there will be no confusion. Even now, there is none. We will inform the high command about our understanding,” he said.
He pointed out that unnecessary speculation had been created. “Some media houses have created this confusion. A few MLAs may have visited Delhi regarding cabinet reshuffle, but that should not be misunderstood,” he said.
Siddaramaiah added that the two leaders discussed upcoming elections, the 2028 Assembly polls and the local body elections, and the need to work together like they did in the 2023 Assembly election. “We have decided to move forward unitedly,” he said.
He also underlined that there was no rift between them. “There is no difference now, and there will be no difference in future. The winter session in Belagavi begins on December 8. We have faced BJP and JD(S) strongly before, and we will continue to do so. Their trademark is misinformation and baseless allegations. We have prepared our strategy to counter them,” he said.
Shivakumar, speaking after Siddaramaiah, said the two leaders shared the same stand on the leadership issue. “We will follow what the high command says,” he confirmed.
He said Karnataka has a big responsibility at a time when the Congress is facing challenges at the national level. “After the 2028 Assembly election, we will face the 2029 Lok Sabha election under the leadership of Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. Our aim is to bring Congress back to power in Karnataka in 2028 and at the Centre in 2029. We have been working together till now and will continue with the same commitment,” he said.
Shivakumar also said Siddaramaiah will visit his home for dinner in the coming days. “We are working together. The hard work of our cadres and the support of the people brought the Congress to power. We are serving people as promised. It is our responsibility to fulfil people’s expectations. The government is functioning under Siddaramaiah’s leadership, and we are following the high command’s direction,” he said.
He stated firmly that he belongs to no internal group. “There was no groupism even during Krishna’s time, and there is none now. My only group is the Congress group. In Siddaramaiah’s first term, even when I was not made a minister for the first six months, I never complained. My commitment to work together is firm. Our job is to strengthen the party, empower every MLA and move together. We have planned many programmes to bring Congress back to power in 2028, and we are already working in that direction,” he added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
