Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah meets MLAs without DKS, exposes factionalism

BENGALURU: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah 's attempt to ease internal unrest in Congress by holding a series of meetings with party MLAs has instead intensified the ongoing power tussle within the governing party, particularly between him and his deputy, DK Shivakumar .

The meetings, which started Tuesday, were intended to address legislators' grievances and distribute sanction letters for special development grants of Rs 50 crore. However, it exposed clear signs of factionalism. MLAs loyal to Siddaramaiah and those backing Shivakumar clashed openly, with differences surfacing even in the CM's presence.

Although Shivakumar, also Bengaluru development minister and KPCC president, was not formally invited to the meetings, he dropped by briefly and held a discussion with the CM while he was meeting MLAs to discuss Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's proposed protest in Bengaluru on Aug 4. The protest is aimed at highlighting alleged voter fraud in Bangalore Central and Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha constituencies.

Nevertheless, Shivakumar announced plans to convene a separate meeting with legislators, focusing on issues specific to Bengaluru. "I've no issues with the CM meeting the MLAs. I will hold a separate meeting with legislators..."