"My duty is to be a loyal soldier of the party and the government," Karnataka Dy CM Shivakumar on state power tussle speculations

Tumakuru (Karnataka) [India], February 14 (ANI): Amid speculation over a leadership tussle in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that the Congress high command and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will examine the statements being made by party MLAs.
Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar said he would abide by the party's decisions and remain loyal to both the government and the organisation.
"Whatever the party has said, I'm going to do. If MLAs are telling anything, the High Command will look into all those things, and the CM will look into all those things. I don't want to interfere. My duty is to be a loyal soldier of the party and the government," DK Shivakumar told reporters.
His remarks come after his recent visit to Delhi, where he attended a Congress meeting ahead of the Assam elections.
On February 10, Karnataka Congress MLA Iqbal Hussain had said that at least 80 party MLAs had given Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's name for the CM post to the high command.
Earlier on Thursday, DK Shivakumar said that the chief ministerial post was not discussed during his meeting with Congress leaders at the AICC. He added that senior leaders will decide when it will be suitable for the state.
At the press conference in the national capital, Shivakumar said, "We were not discussing anything on this. The party has a vision. All our senior leaders will take the call whenever they find it suitable in favour of Karnataka."
Shivakumar said that discussions focused on political matters, but declined to disclose details of the meetings.
After the AICC meeting, Shivakumar told reporters, "I don't think I need to disclose whom I met inside 10 Janpath. We are not ready to discuss politics on the streets. We have met our high command and discussed what needs to be discussed. Once I arrived, we met and discussed many things; I don't need to disclose that. We came here to discuss political things, not just to breathe air."
The leadership tussle within the Karnataka Congress began in November last year, when the government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term. Along with CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, Home Minister G Parameshwara is also in the fray for the top post. (ANI)