Leadership issue: High command will call us at an appropriate time: Shivakumar

Hinting that the party high command had sent a message that a decision on change in leadership would be taken soon, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Saturday said it had been conveyed to both the Chief Minister and him that they would be “called [to Delhi] at an appropriate time”.

Mr. Shivakumar’s statement comes a day after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah asserted in the Legislative Assembly that he would continue in office and that, in his view, the Congress high command was in his favour.

“They have said that they will call both of us at an appropriate time. When that happens, both of us will go to Delhi together,” Mr. Shivakumar said, responding to questions on whether he had been invited by party leaders in Delhi.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, when questioned about this by reporters in Belagavi, refused to comment.

In Bengaluru, referring to the National Herald case, Mr. Shivakumar said the chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate had been rejected by the court and that only one FIR now remained.

He said the Congress was staging protests to highlight what it viewed as pressure being exerted through investigation agencies.

On Delhi visit

Delinking his proposed visit to Delhi from the political developments, Mr. Shivakumar said he would on Tuesday appear before the Delhi Police.

He said the Union Jal Shakti Minister had also convened a meeting on river interlinking on the same day, during which he would raise key Karnataka projects, including Mahadayi, Upper Krishna, Mekedatu, and Upper Bhadra.

The Deputy Chief Minister said he had also sought appointments with the Union Ministers for Environment and Forests and for Housing and Urban Affairs to discuss issues related to the State. He added that meetings with Karnataka MPs were also being considered and that he would meet the Prime Minister if possible.

Protest by KPCC

Earlier in the day, addressing the Satyameva Jayate protest organised by the Congress at Freedom Park, Mr. Shivakumar said the party would resist attempts to undermine Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy. “Congress workers will not allow Gandhi’s India to be turned into Godse’s India,” he said.

Recalling that Mahatma Gandhi had presided over the Congress session in Belagavi a century ago, Mr. Shivakumar accused the BJP-led Centre of attempting to remove Gandhi’s name from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

He said the scheme, introduced under Manmohan Singh’s leadership with Sonia Gandhi’s initiative, had provided livelihood support in rural areas.

He said BJP leaders had lost the moral right to protest in front of Gandhi statues if they continued to remove Gandhi’s name from public schemes.