‘No CM talk at AICC, leadership will take call as and when deemed appropriate’: DK Shivakumar | India News

NEW DELHI: Seeking to quell speculations about a leadership change in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said there was no discussion on the chief minister’s post during the All India Congress Committee meeting with the Congress leadership.Addressing reporters in the national capital, Shivakumar said the party leadership will take a decision in due course and the focus remains on the broader vision and goals of the organisation. “We will not have any discussion on this. The party has a vision and goals. The success of the party is important. The senior leaders are there and they will take the call whenever they think it is in the interest of Karnataka and the country,” he said.

Shivakumar also refused to reveal details of his meetings during the visit, claiming that internal political discussions were not suitable for public airing. “I don’t think I need to disclose who I met inside Janpath No. 10. We are not ready to discuss politics on the streets. We met our high command and discussed what needs to be discussed,” he said, adding that the visit was “to discuss political issues, not just to breathe air”.Speculations over power-sharing arrangements in Karnataka have persisted since November last year, when the Congress government passed halfway through its five-year term. The debate has been fueled by statements from some party MLAs. Earlier this week, Congress MP Iqbal Hussain claimed that 80-90 MPs had expressed their preference for Shivakumar to the high command, while urging party colleagues to maintain discipline and avoid public statements that could embarrass the leadership. However, when Shivakumar was asked about the matter in Delhi, he said he had the support of all 136 MLAs.Meanwhile, the opposition has seized on the opportunity of internal unrest. R Ashok, leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party and leader of the Karnataka Assembly, said the repeated discussions over the chief minister’s post reflected a deeper struggle within the Congress party. “The same issues have been coming up over the past two years. We heard about the 50-50 government and 2.5 years later, that date has also passed. It’s a fight between the old and new Congress,” he said.