Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister MB Patil's statement confirming that there is no power-sharing deal between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar has led to a row. Some speculate that this is a sign of a fragile truce between the leaders.
"Siddaramaiah will complete the full term as the Chief Minister of Karnataka. If there was any power-sharing formula, the high command would have communicated the same. There's no such thing as power sharing," said Patil.
There were suggestions that both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar will take turns at the chair of CM. "If that was the case, our AICC (All India Congress Committee) General Secretary (KC Venugopal) would have told you during the press conference. He said no such thing," said Patil to the media.
KC Venugopal had made a similar statement - "Only power-sharing is with the people." "Let people say whatever they want. There's AICC General Secretary, there's Chief Minister and there's the AICC president (Mallikarjun Kharge)," said Shivakumar on the matter. He said that the party leadership will take care of any such issue.
The BJP is critical of the Congress leaders' statement.
"Certainly, you will see the differences in the days to come. As far as the power-sharing, we are least bothered," said BJP MLA BY Vijayendra.