BENGALURU — Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivkumar on Saturday said that
no one in the party should talk about any power-sharing "agreement or
formula" involving him and CM Siddaramaiah, as he clarified that there was
no such a thing.
He, however, said that they were working with some
"political understanding".
This statement from Shivakumar, who is also the state
Congress chief, came days after Siddaramaiah rejected his claim that they have
a power-sharing pact.
"No one should talk about any oppanda (agreement).
There is no formula (power-sharing formula) or anything. We are both working
with some political understanding. I have never spoken about any formula, there
is nothing. What I told the national channel is we have come to some
understanding.
"The CM has been entrusted with some responsibility
and I'm entrusted with some. I'm functioning accordingly," Shivakumar
said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "There is no
need or there is no situation for anyone to speak about any formula. I have
already said that whatever CM has said is final, and it (matter) is now closed
or finished."
Shivakumar had reportedly told a news channel recently
that there was an agreement between them, before coming to power, to which
Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said there was no such agreement, and that he would
abide by the high command's decision.
Reacting to Siddaramaiah's comments, Shivakumar said
whatever the chief minister says is final, there is no objection to it.
Rejecting the possibility of any power-sharing agreement
involving CM and Deputy CM, before Congress formed a government, Home Minister
G Parameshwara on Thursday said, ultimately, the high command will take a
decision, and everyone will abide by it.
There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and
Shivakumar for the chief minister's post after the declaration of Assembly
election results in May last year, and the Congress had managed to convince the
latter and made him the deputy chief minister.
There were some reports at the time that a compromise had
been reached based on a "rotational chief minister formula," according
to which Shivakumar will become CM after two-and-half years, but they have not
been officially confirmed by the party.
Shivakumar has made no secret of his ambition to become
chief minister.
