00:00There's been a lot of talk that the BJP could go ahead and move a no-confidence motion
00:04against the Sidramaya government if this drama continues.
00:08Today there's going to be a BJP JDS meeting that will happen in Bengaluru.
00:12They're going to be figuring out exactly what their strategy is
00:15for the upcoming assembly session that kicks off from December 8th.
00:19In this meeting is when the final decision will be taken
00:22about that no-confidence motion in the assembly,
00:25whether they're going to go ahead with it or not.
00:27This is what the Congress doesn't want right now.
00:30The messaging is that, look, governance has taken a back seat
00:34and that's the big news break that's coming in on the BJP JDS meeting
00:38that is taking place today in Bengaluru to decide exactly what the agenda is going to be
00:43for the assembly session.
00:45If this impasse continues within the Congress,
00:49then that will be the only single track focus of the BJP in the upcoming assembly session.
00:56Now, the High Command, we're being told, has set off a deadline of December 1st.
01:00December 8th is the assembly session.
01:02If that drags on, if this tussle that we're seeing between Sidramaya and D.K. Shokumar drags on,
01:07then come December 8th, the only issue that will be discussed in the Belagavi assembly session
01:12is going to be what's happening between Sidramaya and D.K. Shokumar.
01:17So, we're going to continue talking about that.
01:19I'll bring in Anagar Keshav also.
01:21Nagarjun is with me for more on that.
01:23Nagar, more than anything else, the Congress High Command will be fearful of exactly this,
01:28the backlash from the people, the narrative, that governance, nothing is being done.
01:32That's absolutely true.
01:33In the last seven days, you have seen limited number of official meetings happening.
01:37There are happening, but very limited official meetings happening.
01:41Yesterday was one such event where D.K. Shokumar and Sidramaya both shared an event.
01:45They didn't exchange words on stage.
01:47Usually, they talk to each other when they sit next to each other,
01:50but yesterday was, they were cold in front of each other, right?
01:52D.K. Shokumar didn't speak to CM and CM, didn't speak to the Deputy Chief Minister.
01:57That clearly shows, if you read between the lines, the coldness between them,
02:00how they are not okay with each other's presence on stage.
02:04And usually, you also have seen already BGP taking jibes at the government,
02:09saying that the administration has taken a hit, governance has taken a hit in Karnataka.
02:14Chief Minister himself agrees that, yes, the governance has taken a hit.
02:18Embarrassment, there's a lot of embarrassment to the party as well as the government,
02:22because each time when you go to, the MLA steps out, people are asking,
02:26sir, what is happening? Who is going to be changed?
02:29Will you, and ministers when they step out, people are asking,
02:32will you still be the minister in the next cabinet or not?
02:34So, there is backlash from people, there's backlash from the media as well,
02:39because from the media, the high command is not taking the call or the final decision.
02:43And from the people, they are saying, we are unable to get our work done,
02:47because the MLA's are busy going to Delhi, the MLA's are busy coming to Bangalore,
02:51the MLA's are busy meeting D.K., the MLA's are busy meeting Siddharamaya.
02:55Then when does the governance take place? It's not happening.
02:57And remember, in one week from now, we will have the winter assembly session happening in Belgium for 15 days.
03:04So, it's two weeks that winter session, and in the session, you need to discuss bills,
03:09you need to discuss the progress, you need to give notices, all that would happen.
03:13And it's a free time for BJP to attack the government for the last 15 days, what has transpired.
03:19If you put on any news channel, if you read any newspaper in Karnataka today, it's about this.
03:25It's not about governance. Remember, just one day ago, we heard the crop loss demuneration being given out
03:32by the state government, by the SDRF fund from the CM office.
03:36Yeah.
03:36That was not highlighted. In fact, in that meeting, what we were told, even before the meeting started,
03:42the CM was in a huddle with key ministers.
03:44So, the governance has taken a back step. Politics has come to the forefront today.
03:49And both of them today have no government meetings, and they are not stepping out for inaugurating any event.
03:54They are not stepping out for any of the events related to the government.
03:59Breakfast meet, and that's it. And the whole day is reserved for their personal meetings.
04:04And most likely, DK Shubh Kumar, post the meeting, might fly to Delhi, is what we are told.
04:08But that's a big if. He had booked his tickets last evening, cancelled it because he got a call from the high command.
04:14So, that explains it. Because there were a lot of questions. DK Shubh Kumar was headed to Delhi.
04:18What happened on that?
04:19He had packed his bags. He was ready to fly.
04:22Fire clock is the time when KC Venugopal called him and said,
04:25you need to sit across the table and discuss with the chief minister.
04:28And then immediately the tickets were called off, cancelled off.
04:30And then they wanted to go early in the morning.
04:33But when the breakfast meeting was set up, the time was set up,
04:36then he said, okay, let me take a final call post the meeting.
04:39Because he also doesn't know what would transpire in this meeting.
04:42So, DK Shubh Kumar, post the meeting, say, around 11 o'clock.
04:45My assumption is, if they sit across the table at 9.30,
04:49they would have breakfast easily for, say, 1, 1.5 or 90 minutes.
04:53Because post the Idli Samba, they want to sit for a coffee also.
04:56The nice filter coffee that both of them would sip.
04:58And there's a private room. I know the chief minister's residence.
05:01There's a separate kitchen where there's a dining hall.
05:04So, these two will sit there.
05:05And for the coffee, they would get up and come back to a private room.
05:09So, it'll be completely one-on-one?
05:10It'll be completely one-on-one.
05:12Because in the coffee, even the waiters will not be there.
05:14The people who are serving, the house staff, will not have access.
05:17So, they can completely be confidential in person and speak what is happening.
05:22And speak their heart out in that room.
05:24I think DK Shubh Kumar will request the chief minister saying,
05:27Sir, please, without your cooperation, I will not make this through.
05:31I will ensure that all your camp members will be taken into consideration.
05:35I will give them prime portfolios.
05:36I will ensure that I will be a leader for them also.
05:40Trust me, sir.
05:41Give me this chance.
05:42I will not disappoint you is what DK Shubh Kumar, knowing him, would say.
05:45He will not put up a fight.
05:46He would be requesting the chief minister is what I'm told.
05:49Okay.
05:50So, if that happens, it'll be very, very interesting.
05:53There's a lot of movement here.
05:54And the reason for that is because this is considered to be the VIP corridor of Bengaluru.
05:59This is where you have all of the residences of the who's who, as far as politicians go, at least.
06:04Which is why you'll always see constant movement, constant security checks, patrolling happening here.
06:10But let's focus.
06:11And as Naga said, you know, maybe DK Shubh Kumar will put forth a request.
06:15But let's tell you right now about exactly what happened a few years ago that set the stage for this very moment.
06:22Back in 2023, right after the mandate for the Congress in Karnataka, there was a big question mark over who will be the chief minister.
06:30That's exactly what we're seeing now.
06:32DK Shubh Kumar, Sidra Maya were doing everything they had to, to kind of push the narrative in their favor.
06:38Their action shifted from Bengaluru to Delhi.
06:40Ultimately, it was Sidra Maya who was chosen, named as the chief minister.
06:45But, but there was a clear, clear agreement.
06:49DK Shubh Kumar, his camp maintained that he would be the chief minister in two and a half years.
06:54What was that agreement about?
06:57Who made this decision?
06:58Who gave their word to DK Shubh Kumar?
07:00Let's go back in time to 2023 and decode that.
07:08A landslide victory in May 2023.
07:16The Congress storming back to power in Karnataka.
07:19But the seeds of today's crisis were sown on day one.
07:25Even before the celebration settled, the succession battle began.
07:30Sidra Maya versus DK Shubh Kumar.
07:35A straight contest for the chief minister's chair.
07:37One, a mass OBC veteran.
07:42The other, a rising Boca Liga powerhouse who rebuilt the party's organization.
07:49Both wanting the top job.
07:52Both had caste blocks, MLAs and political muscle behind them.
07:56There's a clear, clear divide in the Congress high command on who should be the next chief minister of Karnataka.
08:02And that's making this decision all the more difficult to make.
08:06By high command, who are we talking about?
08:07Well, if you look at the likes of Rahul Gandhi as well as KC Venugopal, the both of them are reportedly backing Sidra Maya.
08:15They're saying Sidra Maya very clearly is a mass leader.
08:17He should be made the chief minister.
08:19What about Malik Arjun Karge, the Congress chief who's holding these back-to-back meetings?
08:23Well, what we're hearing from our sources is that he's not too keen on Sidra Maya as chief minister.
08:28But not that he's completely backing DK Shubh Kumar as well.
08:31So largely, Karge's role seems to be that of a neutral Congress president who wants to take a call on what benefits the state of Karnataka.
08:39Majority MLAs are also backing Sidra Maya and that's a very, very big factor in favour of Sidra Maya right now.
08:47But what goes in favour of DK Shubh Kumar is the fact that Sonia Gandhi is considered to have a very close equation with DK Shubh Kumar.
08:54Shubh Kumar has spoken about that time and again, saying I was made the Congress chief by Sonia Gandhi to deliver the state of Karnataka.
09:01I've delivered.
09:03And in those early days, the caste calculus just sharpened the race.
09:08Daahindas, minorities, backward losses and Dalits rallied behind Sidra Maya.
09:15Vokaligas went all out for Shubh Kumar.
09:20Most newly elected Congress MLAs are said to have backed Sidra Maya in a secret ballot.
09:26Sources whispering 60% for him, 40% for DK Shubh Kumar.
09:31Only never officially confirmed.
09:34Sidra Maya's ban Karnataka appeal and his hold over minorities, backward classes and Dalits worked in his favour.
09:44But the Vokaliga push for DK Shubh Kumar was equally fierce.
09:48The community insisting their leader must finally become chief minister.
09:53That's when the High Command stepped in.
09:57MLA's authorised party chief Malik Arjun Karge to pick the chief minister.
10:02What followed was a hard bargain.
10:05Followed by whispers of a 2.5 year rotation, DK Shubh Kumar reportedly asked for the first 2.5 years.
10:13Sidra Maya, citing seniority, refused.
10:15He decided to make Sidra Maya as the chief minister of Karnataka.
10:25The compromise.
10:27Sidra Maya leads the first half.
10:30DK Shubh Kumar takes over in the second.
10:33Though never confirmed, it planted the expectation.
10:37A consensus has been reached.
10:39You can see Sidra Maya and DK Shubh Kumar standing side by side, making their way inside Karge's residence right now.
10:47The images speak volumes of what the Congress High Command has managed to achieve right now.
10:52These are the latest pictures.
10:54They're going to be meeting with Congress Chief Malik Arjun Karge.
10:57They came in the same car from KC Venugopal's residence.
11:00And that is a clear indicator, a clear message that they're sending across, that all is well.
11:06Both of them right now are happy.
11:09According to sources in the DK Shubh Kumar camp, the power-sharing formula was sealed on May 18, 2023,
11:17after long, high-stakes negotiations involving Sidra Maya, DK Shubh Kumar,
11:23Party Chief Malik Arjun Karge, KC Venugopal, Randeep Surjewala and DK Suresh.
11:31Cut to 2025.
11:34Two and a half years later, Karnataka Congress is in turmoil.
11:38Both leaders publicly deny a revolt.
11:41Both say High Command will decide.
11:44But the High Command stays silent.
11:46And the Game of Thrones is unmistakable.
11:52A victory that once united the Congress is now reopening old fault lines.
11:58All eyes remain on Delhi, where the final script of Karnataka's power play will be written.
12:05With Akshita Nand Gopal, Bureau Report, India Today.
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