With the buzz of a power tussle in Karnataka intensifying, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar Friday said he “does not want anything and is not in a hurry.” The Congress state president replied in the affirmative when asked if he would go to Delhi and meet the party high command, saying “Delhi is our temple.”
“My party will take a decision. I don’t want anything. I am not in a hurry,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a function marking the golden jubilee of an Anganwadi programme, where he shared the stage with CM Siddaramaiah. Shivakumar’s statement came a day after social media back and forth between the top two in Karnataka Congress power circles amid reports of a purported power sharing arrangement.
On Friday, Shivakumar said he may travel to the National Capital in view of Parliament’s winter session starting December 1. Political circles are abuzz over the Congress high command summoning the CM and his deputy to resolve the leadership tussle.
ಇಂದಿರಾ ಗಾಂಧಿಯವರು ಈ ದೇಶದ ಅತಿದೊಡ್ಡ ಶಕ್ತಿ!
ಈ ದೇಶದ ಅತಿದೊಡ್ಡ ಶಕ್ತಿ ಇಂದಿರಾ ಗಾಂಧಿಯವರು ಕೊಟ್ಟ ಅನೇಕ ಜನಪರ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮಗಳ ಪೈಕಿ ಅಂಗನವಾಡಿ ಕೇಂದ್ರಗಳ ಸ್ಥಾಪನೆಗೆ ಇಂದು ಸುವರ್ಣ ಮಹೋತ್ಸವ ಸಂಭ್ರಮ. ತನ್ನಿಮಿತ್ತ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಅರಮನೆ ಮೈದಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಮಹಿಳಾ ಮತ್ತು ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ ಸಚಿವೆ ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮೀ ಹೆಬ್ಬಾಳ್ಕರ್ ನೇತೃತ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ… pic.twitter.com/vKGuyAjqPQ
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) November 28, 2025
Trip to National Capital
When asked about his trip to the National Capital, he said: “I may go to Delhi, I have a lot of work there. The parliament session is approaching. I have to meet all Karnataka MPs because they need to take up some of our projects,” he said. “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,” he said.
He added that the Congress leadership decides party policy, and that both he and the CM (Siddaramaiah) would go to Delhi whenever called.
Shivakumar stated that the Supreme Court had given justice to Karnataka in the Mekedatu balancing reservoir issue, and he plans to discuss the matter with the state’s MPs. He added that he and the chief minister are convening an all-party meeting to discuss a wide range of issues, including Mekedatu and the maize price crash.
Shivakumar says he belongs to ‘Congress community’
Addressing questions about Vokkaliga seers being upset with recent political developments, he said: “I don’t want any community angle. My community is the Congress community. Of course, I may belong to one community, and they (Vokkaligas) may like me. That is different.” Shivakumar also sought to distance himself from caste politics, saying he belongs to the Congress community and has love for all communities in the state.
“My love is for all sections of society: backward classes, scheduled castes, minorities, and everyone. Even Vokkaligas are backward class people,” he added.
Story continues below this ad
The comments came after the Adi Chunchanagiri Math seer Nirmalanandanatha Swamy expressed support for Shivakumar, and the Karnataka Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha warned the Congress high command that it would protest if injustice was meted out to him vis-a-vis his elevation.
War of words
While the CM and deputy CM engaged in a war of words on social media on Thursday, they were seen sharing the stage at Friday’s function.
Shivakumar had insisted that “word power is world power,” prompting a quip from Siddaramaiah, saying, “a word is not power unless it betters the world for the people.” “The mandate given by the people of Karnataka is not a moment, but a responsibility that lasts five full years,” the chief minister made it clear in a post on social media handle X.
Shivakumar on Thursday wrote: “The biggest force in the world was to keep one’s word…Be a judge, president or anyone else, including myself, everyone has to walk the talk. Word power is world power,” the deputy CM added.