Karnataka CM meets Siddaramaiah, says no rift between them

Chief Minister DK Shivakumar met former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at his ‘Cauvery’ residence in Bengaluru on Monday and greeted him on Deepavali. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

Amid an alleged sting operation targeting former chief minister Siddaramaiah that has given the opposition political ammunition to signal a rift in the ruling dispensation, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Monday called on his predecessor at his residence in Bengaluru on the occasion of Deepavali.

While the meeting sparked speculation, Mr. Shivakumar said he met Mr. Siddaramaiah to greet the festival and discuss issues related to the local body elections. “Mr. Siddaramaiah is our leader. I had to discuss various issues with him as the local body elections are fast approaching,” the chief minister said.

After the meeting, Mr. Shivakumar told reporters that there was no rift between him and Mr. Siddaramaiah.

“Some people are trying to create an atmosphere that suggests there is friction between us,” he said.

When asked if there was any disagreement between him and Mr. Siddaramaiah, he said, “There must be detractors and detractors in politics. Only when people like us are present, they can engage in clean politics. Siddaramaiah is our leader. Some people, including mahaswamas, portray things differently in the media. We have already told them what needs to be said on these issues.” The Chief Minister made the remark sarcastically without naming Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who accused him of trying to tarnish Mr Siddaramaiah’s image.

CM meets KPCC chief

Later that day, Mr. Shivakumar met Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president BK Hariprasad at the party office and they discussed for some time.

Interestingly, Mr. Hariprasad, a strong supporter of Mr. Siddaramaiah, recently expressed doubts whether the ongoing probe into the alleged sting operation against the former chief minister would be fair. He believed the investigation should focus on the mastermind behind the alleged sting operation, rather than just trying to nail those who circulated the video.

Published – 9 Nov 2026 21:17 IST