Siddaramaiah, D.K. Shivakumar will be called to Delhi ‘when necessary’, says Kharge

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who are involved in the leadership tussle, will be called to Delhi for discussions “whenever necessary”, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Monday.

Mr. Kharge’s response came to a question from presspersons on when the Congress high command would call both for talks. “Whenever its is necessary, the party will call them,” he said.

Earlier, Mr. Kharge had said that the leadership issue had been “created locally” and not by the high command. It is also learnt that Mr. Shivakumar also met Mr. Kharge on Monday to discuss political developments.

The Congress president’s remarks came amid the leadership row as Mr. Shivakumar is pushing the party leadership to elevate him based on an agreement for rotation of power while Mr. Siddaramaiah is seeking to reshuffle the Cabinet that could consolidate his position as the Chief Minister.

Speculation is rife in Congress circles that Mr. Shivakumar and his followers could mount a serious challenge to Mr. Siddaramaiah post-Sankranti festival.

Meanwhile, Mr. Shivakumar will be going to Delhi on January 16 in connection with a meeting convened over Assam elections. He has been appointed a senior observer for the upcoming Assam polls.