Kalaburagi (Karnataka): Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Sunday that the confusion regarding leadership in the state should be resolved at the local level. He added that it is not right to drag the party high command’s name into everything. Kharge made these remarks amidst the internal power struggle within the Congress over a change in leadership in Karnataka.
Regarding the letter written to him by Congress leader Sudarshan to resolve the confusion over the Chief Minister’s post, Kharge said that the letter had not yet reached him. He would only know the contents of the letter after going to Delhi. He would take a decision only after seeing the purpose of the letter and its contents.
Speaking to reporters in Kalaburagi, Congress president Kharge said, “I have no information about DK Shivakumar’s visit to Delhi on December 23. If there is any confusion in the state, it has not been created by the high command. If the confusion has been created at the local level, then the local leaders should resolve it. It is not right to keep mentioning the high command for everything.”
Without naming anyone, he said, “Everyone has worked hard for the party. It is not the effort of any one person. The Congress has been built by the party workers. Congress workers have supported us.”
The Congress president criticized the central government for renaming the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Power struggle in Karnataka
There are speculations of a power struggle between top Congress leaders in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. The Congress government was formed in Karnataka in May 2023. At that time, DK Shivakumar was the Congress state president. However, Siddaramaiah was made the Chief Minister and Shivakumar the Deputy Chief Minister. It is being discussed that during a meeting with the Congress high command at that time, an agreement was reached between the two leaders to share the CM’s post for two and a half years each. However, this formula has not been officially confirmed.
On November 20, the Congress government in Karnataka completed half of its term. Even before that, speculation about a leadership change in the state had begun. However, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has dismissed these rumors, stating that he will remain in office for the full five-year term. He also expressed confidence in the support of the Congress high command. Rejecting the power-sharing formula, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that he had never stated that he would only be chief minister for two and a half years. He said, “I am confident that the high command will allow me to complete my five-year term.”
