'Patience will also pay': Shivakumar amid speculation over Karnataka leadership change

Amid speculation over a leadership change in the Congress-led Karnataka government, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said ''patience will also pay''. The Siddaramaiah government is set to complete 1,000 days in office on Friday. Shivakumar denied that there was any power tussle between him and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. On reports that some legislators are embarking on a foreign tour from February 16 to March 3, supposedly to delay power-sharing between the chief minister and his deputy, Shivakumar said he was unaware of such a development. ''I am not aware of it. I have seen only in newspapers,'' he told reporters here. After meeting senior leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi as well as AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi, Shivakumar said the matter concerning a change of leadership was not discussed with them. He reiterated that the party's central leadership will take a call at an appropriate time in the interest of the state. ''The party leadership and seniors will take a call whenever they feel fit in the interest of Karnataka and the party,'' he told reporters. Asked if he was told to be patient, Shivakumar said, ''Patience will also pay.'' He declined to share the outcome of the meeting with key party leaders. ''Politics was discussed but that will not be discussed before the media. We are political leaders and obviously discussion happens,'' he said. The deputy chief minister did not respond when asked if there would be a change in leadership by the completion of 2,000 days in office. He said there was no power tussle between him and the chief minister. ''It is within the BJP,'' he added. Every Delhi visit by Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in recent months has been surrounded by speculation about a change of leadership in the Karnataka government, with claims and counter-claims emerging from different sections of the party. The state government will celebrate the completion of 1,000 days in office on Friday and announce one more guarantee to the people. ''We are giving one more guarantee, that is, Bhoomi guarantee... We are giving 'khata' to everyone. Those who have built houses, we are giving them 'pakka khata' from the revenue department,'' he added.