Show of unity: Siddaramaiah scheduled to visit Shivakumar's residence for breakfast on Dec 2
Bengaluru (PTI): In an apparent display of unity, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is scheduled to visit his deputy D K Shivakumar's residence for breakfast on December 2, just days after the two broke bread in the wake of a raging power tussle.
Shivakumar on Monday evening confirmed that he has invited Siddaramaiah for breakfast to discuss and strengthen their collective efforts to deliver on promises to Karnataka.
Siddaramaiah, earlier in the day, had said he was yet to receive a formal invitation and would go on receiving it, while Shivakumar had maintained that it's a matter between him and the CM, and that they were working like "brothers".
"Me and the CM continue to work together as a team. I have invited the Hon'ble CM for breakfast tomorrow to discuss and strengthen our collective efforts to deliver on our promises to Karnataka," Shivakumar posted on 'X' in the evening.
In an attempt to break the logjam over the leadership row involving the two leaders, Shivakumar had visited the CM's residence two days ago, for a similar breakfast meeting, convened by Siddaramaiah at the behest of the Congress high command.
Following the initial meeting held on Saturday, both leaders had publicly stated that "there won't be any confusion".
On the leadership issue, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar maintained that they would obey the high command.
The development is seen as a move by the high command to pause the leadership tussle between the two, and signals Siddaramaiah's continuation as the CM for time being, especially ahead of the Belagavi legislature session from December 8.
"As told by the CM on Saturday, he is scheduled to visit Shivakumar's residence for breakfast tomorrow," official sources said.
Speaking to reporters earlier on Monday, Siddaramaiah had said, "On that day (Saturday) he (Shivakumar) asked me to come to his house for breakfast on Tuesday. I have not received any call till now, other than what he said the day before yesterday. If invited, I will go. He may call. I think he will invite me."
Responding to a question if he has extended an invitation to the CM to join him for breakfast, Shivakumar earlier in the day said, "It's a matter related to me and the CM, we both are working like brothers."
"We met under your (media) pressure (on November 29). There was no need for it. You are alleging groupism, but there are no groups. You are creating groups -- DK group , Siddaramaiah group and others," the state Congress chief said.
Asserting that he is not in any group, Shivakumar added, "I have 140 people (MLAs) with me."
"When we are born or die, we are alone. When it comes to the party, we will take everyone together. There is no need for anyone to worry."
Meanwhile, Shivakumar's brother and former Congress MP D K Suresh, who was camped in Delhi, reportedly to meet the Congress high command leaders, returned to Benagaluru on Monday.
speaking to reporters at the airport, Suresh, not willing to share details about his travel, said, "It was a personal visit. I cannot say every thing. Everything is happening smoothly. Breakfast meetings are taking place. Tomorrow also there is a breakfast meeting. So everything will come to a stage."
The high command will take appropriate decisions at an appropriate time. "Until then, we will have to wait," he said.
Asked whether the time has come for Shivakumar to become the CM, Suresh said, "Let's wait and see."
The power tussle within the ruling party had intensified amid speculation about a change in chief minister in the state after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20.
The speculation was fuelled by an alleged "power-sharing" agreement involving Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in 2023.
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Indigo flights chaos: SCR to run special trains to clear passenger rush
Hyderabad (PTI): The South Central Railway on Saturday announced that it would run four special trains to manage the surge in passengers resulting from the large-scale cancellation of IndiGo flights here.
The move comes as flyers face significant disruption and long queues at the airport due to the cancellation.
A press release from the SCR said it is running the special trains to clear the extra rush of passengers to Chennai, Mumbai and Shalimar (Kolkata) from Hyderabad today.
Meanwhile, as many as 43 outbound Indigo flights were cancelled from here on Saturday, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport sources said.
ALSO READ: IndiGo cancels over 200 flights from Delhi, Mumbai on Saturday
Similarly, 26 incoming flights are also likely to be cancelled during the day, they said.
The flight cancellations drew ire from passengers, who thronged the IndiGo counters at the airport demanding to know the exact situation.
“This is utter nonsense! Digiyatra done, message received that departure has been rescheduled ahead of the scheduled departure and now upon arriving at Hyderabad airport coming to know at the security checkpoint that Indigo flight is cancelled,” Tarun Singha, former Ministry of Defence spokesperson said in a post on X.
“But the thing is if you don’t shout they do nothing. Example at Hyderabad Airport, there was no staff no flight information for an hour. Then a fellow passenger started shouting on mic and an Indigo staff appeared finally,” a netizen said in a post.
On Friday, when IndiGo cancelled over 1,000 flights from across airports, its CEO Pieter Elbers apologised in a video message for the major inconvenience caused to passengers due to the disruptions.
In the one-way video communication, Elbers also said that the airline was expecting fewer than 1,000 flights on Saturday.
