Congress video hails ‘brand DK Shivakumar’ as Karnataka power tussle with Siddaramaiah simmers

BENGALURU: As the Karnataka Congress continues to grapple with a simmering power tussle between chief minister Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, the party late on Thursday shared a video of the deputy CM on social media with the caption: “D K Shivakumar… This is not just a name, it’s a brand!”The video, posted on X, features a cut-out image of Shivakumar accompanied by captions such as “A party worker at heart,” “Man of the soil,” “Problem solver,” and “Power with purpose.” The post comes amid ongoing internal friction that has played out both within the party and in public perception.Even as the rivalry persists, both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have repeatedly maintained that they will abide by the decision of the party high command. Siddaramaiah has sought to project confidence, asserting that he enjoys the leadership’s backing and is certain of completing a full five-year term as chief minister, signalling his intent to shut down speculation over a possible leadership change.The tensions came into the open just three days ago during a rally in Bengaluru, when Siddaramaiah lost his cool after some Youth Congress leaders began raising slogans in favour of Shivakumar ahead of his address.As Siddaramaiah rose from his chair and walked towards the podium, a section of party workers started chanting “DK, DK,” with the slogans growing louder by the second.Visibly irritated, Siddaramaiah snapped at the crowd and asked them to maintain silence. When the chants continued, he angrily demanded to know who was raising the slogans.“Who are those shouting ‘DK, DK’?” an irked Siddaramaiah asked party leaders on the stage.The situation forced the event’s compere to intervene, issuing a public warning to the Youth Congress leaders to stop interrupting the chief minister.“The Youth Congress leaders should keep quiet. The chief minister is addressing the gathering. We know who you are. Listen to the CM silently,” the compere said.Despite the appeal, disruptions continued even after Siddaramaiah began speaking, further aggravating him and briefly overshadowing the message of the protest.Siddaramaiah, accompanied by Shivakumar, Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, and several party ministers, MPs and legislators, had joined the protest against the Centre’s move to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with a new rural employment scheme — the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajivika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G).