‘Happy about it’, says Shivakumar on Kharge’s assurance to Satish Jarkiholi on leadership issue

Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar on Saturday said he was “happy” about AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge assuring senior Congress leader Satish Jarkiholi that the leadership issue in Karnataka would be resolved.

Speaking to reporters at the Karnataka State Higher Education Council here, Shivakumar declined to comment on reports relating to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s newspaper article and a series of social media posts, saying, “I don’t have any information on that.”

Siddaramaiah on Friday alleged that political attacks against him were partly driven by caste bias, stating that some opponents had been unable to accept the rise of a person from a modest background to the State’s top post.


In a newspaper article followed by a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), the Chief Minister said his social origins had become a source of discomfort for rivals. “The one who should have been herding sheep becoming Chief Minister is reason enough to make the eyes of opponents turn red,” he wrote.

He said several criticisms and allegations against him were influenced by his caste identity, adding that political adversaries believed removing him from the political landscape would ease their path ahead.

“The one who ought to have been herding sheep has become Chief Minister, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with economic experts, presenting budget after budget and earning appreciation,” Siddaramaiah said, adding that impatience, hatred and envy were behind sustained attacks against him.

Drawing historical parallels, he said leaders associated with social reform movements had often faced resistance and conspiracies. He cited figures such as Gautama Buddha, Basavanna, B. R. Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi, Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, Narayana Guru and Kanakadasa, saying those who worked towards social transformation had historically faced attempts to suppress or discredit them.

Referring specifically to Basavanna, the Chief Minister said the 12th-century reformer’s efforts to challenge caste hierarchies and promote social integration had invited organised opposition and conspiracies against him.

The remarks come amid heightened political exchanges in the State, with Siddaramaiah’s comments drawing attention to issues of social justice and caste dynamics in Karnataka’s political discourse.