Belagavi: No resort politics in Congress, D.K. Shivakumar will follow high command, says Hattiholi
Belagavi: Congress MLC Channaraj Hattiholi has dismissed rumours that Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar was planning a coup to capture power in Karnataka, The Hindu reported on Friday.
Speaking to reporters in Belagavi, Hattiholi rejected claims made by some Opposition leaders that Shivakumar was booking resorts in Goa for Congress MLAs. “Some opposition leaders have falsely claimed that Mr. Shivakumar is booking resorts in Goa for Congress MLAs. That is not true. There is no resort politics in the Congress. Mr. Shivakumar is a born Congressman, and a loyalist of the party. He will not do anything to embarrass the party. He will follow the high command’s instructions,” TH quoted him as saying.
He was speaking during discussions on preparations for the birthday celebrations of Minister for Women and Child Development, and Disabled and Senior Citizens, Laxmi Hebbalkar, who is his sister.
Hattiholi said Shivakumar’s recent visit to New Delhi had been successful and indicated that better times lay ahead for him. “This March 10, Mr. Shivakumar completes 10 years as the Congress president. He has worked hard for the party and rebuilt it from the grassroots level. That he should become the CM is not just the wish of party workers, but of the whole State,” he said.
“The party has not come to power only because of Mr. Shivakumar. The contribution of leaders like Mr. Siddaramaiah and Satish Jarkiholi is also immense. But we should not forget under what circumstances Mr. Shivakumar came to head the party and lead it successfully. I would say his recent Delhi trip has been largely successful,” he said.
On the decision of Congress legislators to go on a foreign trip, Hattiholi clarified that it was not political in nature. “It is not related to the change in leadership issue. Everything is fine in the party,” Mr. Hattiholi said.
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I always live with hope, confidence; time will answer: D K Shivakumar on leadership issue
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, who returned from New Delhi after meeting the Congress high command amid the leadership tussle in the state, on Friday said he lives with "hope and confidence" and that there will always be fruit for the efforts made.
He also reiterated that "time will answer", in the wake of reports that both he and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah may soon be called to New Delhi by the party leadership to discuss a possible transition of power.
"I always live with hope and confidence. There will always be fruit for the effort, whether it is for you, for me, or for anyone else. Where there is effort, there is fruit; where there is devotion, there is God," Shivakumar told reporters in response to a question after returning from New Delhi.
Asked whether the fruit of his efforts could be expected soon, he said, "Let’s talk about that some other time."
Responding to reports that both he and Siddaramaiah would be summoned to New Delhi around February 17 by the Congress high command to discuss a possible power transition, Shivakumar said, "I don’t know. Let’s see. Time will answer everything."
Shivakumar met senior party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, as well as AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, during his New Delhi visit.
On Thursday, the Deputy CM had told reporters in Delhi that the leadership issue was not discussed with the party’s top brass, but added that "patience will also pay". He had said the party’s central leadership would take a call at an appropriate time in the interest of the state.
The leadership tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculation about a possible change of chief minister after the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, 2025.
The speculation has been fuelled by a reported power-sharing arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar at the time of the government’s formation in 2023.
Siddaramaiah had on Wednesday asserted that both he and Shivakumar should abide by the Congress high command’s decision on the chief ministerial change issue.
Amid reports that some party legislators are planning a foreign tour to Australia and New Zealand, with speculation linking it to the ongoing power tussle within the ruling party, Shivakumar—who is also the state Congress chief—said he was not aware of it and would inquire.
"I have not received any report on this, nor have I tried to obtain information about it. Now that you have brought it to my notice, I will inquire," he said, responding to a question about the legislators’ foreign tour, with some describing it as a study tour and others calling it personal.
When asked whether the Congress high command had sought any details on the tour, he said, "No one from the high command has spoken to me about this. Neither those going on the tour have spoken to me, nor those sending them."
