I’m not one who just sits onstage & gives speeches: Shivakumar | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar Thursday reiterated that he considers himself a lifetime worker of Congress, irrespective of the position he holds in the party.“I am a lifetime worker. As party (state) president, I have tied party flags and swept the (office) premises. I have done everything for the party. I am not someone who just sits on a stage, gives a speech and leaves,” Shivakumar said after meeting All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge in Bengaluru.In political circles, his statement is being interpreted as an expression of frustration, reflecting his view that he has invested years of effort and commitment in the party without commensurate recognition or reward. His remark that he is “not the one who just sits on a stage and gives speeches” is widely perceived as a subtle jibe directed at CM Siddaramaiah.Shivakumar also said he had not been invited to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting scheduled for Saturday and that only Siddaramaiah would be attending it. “Only CMs of Congress-ruled states have been invited and not deputy CMs. If I am called, I will go,” he said.Shivakumar clarified that no leadership-related issue was discussed during his meeting with Kharge. He said the discussions were focused on the party’s upcoming protest against the renaming of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). He also reiterated that both he and Siddaramaiah were committed to abiding by the decisions of the party high command.CM-DCM should resolve: JarkiholiPublic works minister Satish Jarkiholi said the AICC president had conveyed that the leadership issue in Karnataka should be resolved locally, with CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar holding talks to settle the matter. “The party president has conveyed this to both of them. So no third person should get involved in this,” he said.Responding to reports about BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi meeting the chief minister, Satish Jarkiholi said such meetings were not unusual and had occurred earlier as well. He said Ramesh Jarkiholi originally belonged to Congress and therefore meets party leaders frequently, both in Delhi and in the state.