Bengaluru: In a move loaded with political signals, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar invoked Sonia Gandhi’s legendary political sacrifice while speaking at an AICC event in Delhi, where senior Congress leadership was present. This statement is being seen as a direct response to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s recent assertion, also made from Delhi, that he would complete the full five-year term as CM.
Without directly naming Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar emphasized the need for power sharing in Congress, recalling how Sonia Gandhi had declined the Prime Minister’s post despite being invited to take charge. “Power is not important for me,” he quoted Sonia as saying, adding, “Is there anyone else in the world’s largest democracy who has sacrificed so much for the country?”
Shivakumar’s comments come just days after Siddaramaiah reportedly told Delhi leaders that he would remain CM for the full term. By invoking Sonia’s example, DK Shivakumar appeared to nudge the Congress High Command and remind them of his own seniority and political contribution.
“I am not a junior,” Shivakumar said from the national capital. “I have been elected eight times. I’ve been in public life for 37 years.” The remark was seen as a direct message to the leadership that he is no less deserving of the top post in Karnataka.
The underlying message was clear: while Siddaramaiah may have publicly claimed the CM post for the full term, Shivakumar was now making his own strategic pitch—subtly, but unmistakably—before the party’s national leadership.
The political back-and-forth highlights the growing tensions within the Karnataka Congress over the unspoken power-sharing agreement. While Siddaramaiah denies such an arrangement ever existed, Shivakumar’s remarks signal that he still considers it valid—and expects it to be honoured.
As the Congress High Command watches closely, the Delhi stage has once again become the battleground for Karnataka’s leadership story, where every word carries strategic weight, and every message is aimed at the corridors of power.
