Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar attended a meeting as an observer for the Assam elections at 10 Rajaji Marg, the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, while refraining from commenting on his discussion with the party high command. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi was also present at the meeting on Friday.Amid speculation over a power tussle in Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi and DK Shivakumar were face-to-face for the first three hours of the meeting. Afterward, Shivakumar went back to meet Mallikarjun Kharge, according to news agency ANI.Speaking to reporters today, he declined to discuss his meeting with the Congress high command.Shivakumar, who is in New Delhi after canceling his scheduled visit to Davos for the World Economic Forum 2026, asked the media “not make a big deal” out of his visit, stating he came to the national capital for government and party work.Maintaining that he would not disclose anything regarding the meeting, he said, “I cannot disclose it. Time will answer everything… We are all politicians; politicians do whatever politics they want. There is nothing wrong with that. We have met. Why do you make a big deal out of it? We come here for government work, for party work. We come here for politics.”His visit to Delhi comes amid speculation over a possible leadership change in Karnataka. As the state government crossed the halfway mark of its tenure in November 2025, a speculated tussle for the CM post began, with CM Siddaramaiah, deputy CM Shivakumar, and Home Minister G Parameshwara in the fray.Earlier today, the deputy CM said that he prefers not to speak even when there is “good news.”“When there is good news, we don’t talk about it. It’s Sunday, a good day. We are people who work for the people and wish well for them. We do not disclose or discuss anything related to such matters, including leadership change,” Shivakumar said.
