The tussle of War with words reached a new high after Karnataka’s deputy Chief Minister, DK Shivakumar’s officer, allegedly threatened the Special Duty Officers (SDOs) of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to assault his counterpart with a shoe in front of everyone.
The clash broke out at Karnataka Bhavan in Delhi amid a long verbal confrontation for power between Siddarmaiah and Shivakumar and growing speculation over a potential leadership change in the state.
The special Duty Officer to the Deputy Chief Minister, H Anjaneya, in a complaint, accused Mohan Kumar, Special Duty Officer to the Chief Minister, of allegedly threatening to assault him with shoes in front of other staff members.
“I was threatened to beat me with a shoe, and it has hurt my honour and dignity. Conduct a criminal trial against him (Kumar) and give me justice,” the officer’s complaint alleged.
The officer also alleged that he had been harassed and faced obstruction in the performance of his duties since Kumar took charge.
Raising concerns about his safety, the SDO assigned to Siddaramaiah stated, “If any untoward incident occurs, Kumar will be held accountable.”
In his complaint, he also accused Kumar of prior misconduct, alleging that he had once assaulted MM Joshi, disrespected senior officers, and displayed arrogance while serving as the Chief Minister’s special officer on duty.
Anjaneya further mentioned that he had earlier sought a transfer to avoid such confrontations. In response, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh has ordered an investigation, and Resident Commissioner Imkongla Jamir confirmed that the complaint has been received.
Long battle for the Chair
The fight for the Chief Ministerial chair has been playing out for a long time. The harsh statements from the political leaders of Karnataka show that the eyes are on the chair. On July 13, KN Rajanna, Karnataka minister, claimed that CM Siddaramiah will continue as Chief Minister for the entire tenure. He also suggested that neither the party high command nor the MLAs are ready for a change in leadership.
“Yes, Siddaramaiah will be Chief Minister for five years. If change is there, only the high command and MLAs can do it. I think neither is ready to change now,” he said.
Asserting that it would be premature to say would be the party’s face in the state for the 2028 election cycle, Rajanna said, “Can anyone do an election without him (Siddaramaiah) in the Congress party? 2028 MLAs will decide who will be the Chief Minister. It won’t be decided now. All leaders, including Siddaramaiah, must be included for the next election. MLAs will then decide.”
Meanwhile, Congress MLA from Mandya, Ravi Kumar Gowda, seems to have sided with DK Shivakumar as he said the deputy CM deserves to be the Chief Minister, and when the time is right, he will become the CM.
“DK Shivakumar will become Chief Minister when the time comes. 138 MLAs support both DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah. When the time is right, DK Shivakumar too will become Chief Minister. When time and circumstance align, good things will happen. He definitely deserves to become Chief Minister, and he will become Chief Minister,” Gowda said.
Amid ongoing speculation over a possible leadership change in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on July 12, stirred the pot by stating that one must make the most of opportunities when they arise. Speaking at the Kempegowda Jayanti event organized by the Bengaluru Advocates Association, Shivakumar remarked, “People keep fighting for positions. While you lawyers say you don’t want the chair, I say, when you get a good chair, sit on it. Opportunities are rare; grab them when they come.”
His comments have added fuel to the rumours of a potential leadership reshuffle in the state Congress.
However, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah dismissed all such talks soon after the meeting with Congress General Secretary and Karnataka in-charge, Randeep Singh Surjewala. He told reporters in Bengaluru, “Surjewala has clearly stated there is no change in leadership and that the issue isn’t even being discussed within the party. So, why the speculation?”
Shivakumar, who also returned from Delhi around the same time, avoided further remarks and deferred to Siddaramaiah’s statement, saying the Congress high command’s position on leadership had already been made clear.
