In a significant development amid an escalating leadership tussle in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday invited his deputy DK Shivakumar for a breakfast meeting on Saturday, following clear instructions from the Congress high command to hold direct talks. The move comes as the party attempts to defuse intensifying internal tensions, even as senior leaders publicly insist that the Congress “has the sense of timing” to intervene at the right moment.
Why has Siddaramaiah invited Shivakumar now?
Speaking to reporters, Siddaramaiah confirmed that the party’s central leadership had asked both leaders to meet.
“The party high command had called me and him (D K Shivkumar) and asked us to have a meeting. Hence, I have invited him for breakfast tomorrow. We will discuss when he comes.”
He was categorical that there had been “no change in my stand”, adding: “Both of us have said that we will obey whatever the party high command says.”
Siddaramaiah also reiterated that he would travel to Delhi if asked:
“I will go to Delhi if the high command calls me.”
What is Shivakumar’s stance on the leadership issue?
Shivakumar, who serves as both deputy chief minister and state Congress president, struck a conciliatory yet cautious tone.
“I don’t want anything. I am not in a hurry. My party will take a decision.”
He confirmed he may travel to the national capital ahead of the Parliament’s winter session beginning 1 December:
“I have a lot of work there… I have to meet all Karnataka MPs because they need to take up some of our projects.”
When asked whether he would meet the high command, he responded emphatically:
“Delhi is our temple. All of us have to go. Without Delhi, nothing can happen. Congress is a party with a long history, and it has always guided us.”
What is the Congress high command’s calculation?
In comments that drew attention, minister Priyank Kharge, son of national Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, said the leadership in Delhi would intervene at the appropriate moment.
“The high command has the sense of timing. It will take a call, keeping in mind the right time.”
He urged the media and public not to speculate further, saying any decision would be announced only after an invitation from Delhi.
Is the leadership change promise real?
Amid growing conjecture over whether Congress had promised a mid-term rotation of the chief ministership, Siddaramaiah’s son Yathindra dismissed suggestions of internal rebellion.
“There is no battle or skirmish… Since there is no confusion amongst us, I feel the media is into perception creation.”
On the reported two-and-a-half-year power-sharing formula, he said:
“No one knows whether any promise was made about leadership change after two-and-half years… So, it is not proper to speculate about it.”
He added that discussions about MLAs’ preferences should remain inside the party.
How is the opposition BJP responding?
The BJP has sharpened its attack ahead of the Belagavi legislature session. Former chief minister and MP Basavaraj Bommai hinted at possible parliamentary action:
“There is time till December 8. If such a situation arises, the occasion to move a no-confidence motion may come.”
What next for Karnataka’s power equation?
Saturday’s breakfast meeting between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar is expected to be the first direct conversation after weeks of political rumblings over leadership. With the Congress high command poised to intervene only when it believes the moment is strategically right, the state’s political landscape remains fluid — and the outcome of this internal negotiation could shape Karnataka’s governance trajectory well into the 2026 election cycle.
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