NEW DELHI: Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar had two breakfasts together within a week, but the deadlock over the Karnataka chief ministerial post does not seem likely to end soon.The second round of the “breakfast diplomacy” at the deputy chief minister’s residence drew a blank yet again, after both Siddaramaiah and DKS left the decision to the party high command.”When the high command says,” Siddaramaiah responded when asked when Shivakumar would become the chief minister.”So far, there is no communication from the high command on the timeline for any decision on the matter. If they (high command) call us, we will definitely go and meet them. Tomorrow, I will be meeting AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal at a function where both of us are invited,” he added.Both Congress leaders also put up a united front. The chief minister asserted that there are no differences between him and his deputy, adding that they are running the government like “brothers” and will continue to do so in the future as well.‘All we want is a peaceful settlement’Meanwhile, home minister G Parameshwar, another name in the fray for the CM post, acknowledged the stir and called for a “peaceful settlement.” “It’s a good thing that our leaders are getting together again for breakfast. All we want is a peaceful settlement of whatever has happened over the month or so. As suggested by the high command, they are meeting for the second time. All the issues are settled. It is just reciprocal, nothing else,” Parameshwar said.‘Politics is not permanent’Additionally, hours after meeting DKS, Siddaramaiah added to the speculation as he was heard saying “politics is not permanent” during an informal conversation with Congress MLA Belur Gopal.Though the context of the conversation — the video of which has gone viral — is unclear, it is being linked to CM change talks in the state.”Whatever has to happen, let it happen. Is politics my father’s property? Politics is not permanent,” Siddaramaiah can be heard telling Gopal Krishna, MLA from Sagara, as they emerged from inside Vidhana Soudha.This comes after the first breakfast between Siddaramaiah and DKS. The outreach comes after the Congress high command nudged both leaders to present a united front ahead of the Belagavi legislature session starting December 8.Earlier, as soon as the Congress government in Karnataka completed its halfway mark on November 20, reports quoting Congress sources suggested that MLAs and MLCs from Shivakumar’s faction had camped in Delhi to push the party high command to make him the next chief minister.DK Shivakumar added to the speculation after he claimed there had indeed been “a confidential understanding on leadership transition among five-six leaders” soon after Congress won a landslide in the 2023 elections.The deputy chief minister made the first reference to the power pact but stopped short of divulging more details. “This is confidential. I don’t want to speak publicly on this,” he said.
