DK Shivakumar’s Cryptic ‘Word Power’ Post Rekindles Debate Over Leadership Rift in Karnataka Congress

Banglore: Amid persistent murmurs of internal discord within the Karnataka Congress, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday reignited political discussions with a cryptic message posted on X. Sharing an image with the line “Word power is world power,” Shivakumar stressed on the importance of commitment in public life.

“The biggest force in the world was to keep one’s word. Be it a judge, president or anyone else including myself, everyone has to walk the talk. World power is world power,” the message read. He captioned it with another remark: “Keeping one’s word is the greatest strength in the world!”

Although Shivakumar has repeatedly denied any infighting, the timing of the post has raised eyebrows across political circles. Supporters of the Deputy CM have long maintained that the Congress high command promised a rotational chief ministership when the party came to power in 2023 — a claim strongly rejected by the Siddaramaiah camp, as reported by NDTV.

Political observers view Shivakumar’s message as a subtle signal aimed at the party’s top leadership, especially since many MLAs aligned with him have been making frequent visits to Delhi in recent weeks.

Against the backdrop of growing speculation, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge acknowledged the situation, assuring that a collective decision will soon be taken. “I will call everyone and have a discussion… CM and Dy CM will also remain present. The decision will be made after a discussion with all,” Kharge told reporters, indicating that party seniors, including Rahul Gandhi, will participate in the talks.

Escalating tensions further, senior Congress MLA KN Rajanna on Wednesday suggested dissolving the Assembly and seeking a fresh mandate. “Let’s dissolve the Assembly and face elections… Then let DK Shivakumar serve as CM for five years,” Rajanna said, arguing that the Congress Legislature Party should decide the leadership, just as it did in Siddaramaiah’s favour earlier.