Inside Siddaramaiah-Shivakumar Breakfast Meets: Karnataka CM Post Drama Continues To Simmer

Last Updated:December 02, 2025, 20:00 IST

Breakfast meetings seem to have become the Congress’s new political template in Karnataka

DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah have had two breakfast meets. (X)

There is more to the breakfast meetings in Karnataka than what appears on the surface.

When News18 asked a senior Congress leader close to DK Shivakumar camp if there would be a change of guard after the meet between Deputy CM and CM Siddaramaiah, the reply was sharp, “When the high command says."

That response alone suggests that beneath the calm surface, the water is far from still.

Breakfast diplomacy, politics

Breakfast meetings seem to have become the Congress’s new political template in Karnataka. After the high command instructed Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM Shivakumar to resolve their differences within the state, the first gesture of reconciliation came when Siddaramaiah invited Shivakumar for breakfast at his home. Shivakumar followed it up by inviting the CM and serving some of his favourite dishes.

For leaders close to both camps, these meetings are meant to project strength, unity and a commitment to take the Congress forward.

Siddaramaiah himself hinted at the next layer of the script when he said, “If I get time, I will meet the high command," signalling that a briefing is imminent.

“What the high command says, what Rahul Gandhi says, we will follow," reiterated Siddaramaiah, which was reaffirmed by Shivakumar as well. Clearly, the ball continues to remain in the high command’s court.

Another senior leader from the Siddaramaiah camp also stated, “Whatever action Rahul Gandhi takes, we will follow."

With a meeting expected with KC Venugopal in Mangaluru, all eyes are on what direction will come from the top. It was Venugopal’s call that had pushed both leaders to sit across the table at the very first breakfast.

No-confidence buzz, next chapter in Delhi

Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar are scheduled to travel to Delhi on December 8 to meet MPs and discuss state-related issues, particularly MSP, maize procurement and farmers’ concerns. They will leave immediately after the Assembly session concludes that day.

Addressing the BJP’s claim that it plans to move a no-confidence motion, Siddaramaiah said, “The BJP claimed they will move a no-confidence motion and that they want to raise other issues in the Assembly, so we planned and prepared a strategy to oppose it aggressively. We are running the government and we will give them an answer accordingly — be it about the maize procurement, the sugarcane issue. We are a pro-farmer government always."

Meanwhile, “breakfast diplomacy" has received a full push from the central leadership. Shivakumar made it clear that the menu itself was part of the political signalling. “The ‘naati koli’ dish, the CM’s favourite, was prepared, and the 90-minute sitting to discuss and strengthen their collective efforts to deliver on promises to Karnataka."

A senior Congress leader said, “The discussion in the first breakfast meeting was to strategise and ensure that the Congress leads in a united front and works towards ensuring a bigger majority and victory in the 2028 elections."

Analysts decode the optics

That meeting, held at Siddaramaiah’s residence on November 29, was aimed at projecting harmony after days of internal rumblings.

The contrast between the two meetings was stark. The first one — prompted by the high command — lasted barely 20 minutes. Both leaders came out and repeated the same lines about unity. The next one, hosted by Shivakumar, went on for nearly 90 minutes, and Siddaramaiah confirmed that party issues were discussed in detail.

“We are united. The high command asked us to meet over breakfast, and we did. We discussed how to take the party forward and strategise for the future," both leaders insisted repeatedly at the first press conference that followed the Saturday.

Political analysts, however, see these interactions as pure optics. They argue that the meetings are taking place not because the leaders wish to reconcile, but because the high command has told them to, calling the process cosmetic and ineffective.

Political analyst Harish Ramaswamy put it bluntly: “It is unfortunate that these people are calling each other for breakfast only because of directions from the Centre and the high command. It’s a very childish way for a party to behave. Instead of resolving issues at a mature level, they are being told to call each other for breakfast, and they simply follow those instructions. Having been in politics and spent a lifetime there, I am really surprised that leaders need direction from the high command just to call one another and sort out such small matters."

He added, “I don’t think they can achieve anything. Unless the decision is made at the top, what can these leaders really do? This will only end up as another photo-op, another PR exercise. And these PR exercises only make the Congress more vulnerable to ridicule from the opposition. You’re dealing with a BJP that plays politics with maturity and seriousness, backed by a high command that is decisive and disciplined. Congress, which once operated with the same discipline, has now come to this level. They are in power in only one or two states, and if they cannot even manage these states properly, what else can they hope to manage?"

Before breakfasts, there was dinner diplomacy

If breakfasts are the new stage for Congress politics, then dinner potlucks already have a long history in this drama.

Earlier this year, a dinner hosted by PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi at his Bengaluru residence raised eyebrows because it took place when Shivakumar was abroad. Jarkiholi downplayed the event, saying such gatherings had taken place 8–10 times in the past 20 months. “We discussed improvements in administration and how to prepare for the 2028 elections," he said. The presence of several Ahinda leaders fuelled speculation about factional formations and possible shifts in the KPCC presidency, which Jarkiholi denied.

Another dinner attended by Siddaramaiah and four Dalit Ministers reportedly discussed Shivakumar’s “dominance" in party activities and “interference" in other departments. Jarkiholi again insisted it was merely a New Year get-together. This was at the beginning of the year.

A separate dinner brought together SC/ST legislators amid leadership rumours, which was hosted by Home Minister G. Parameshwara. He maintained it was only a discussion on departmental issues, especially those linked to budgetary adjustments due to the Almatti dam project. This was seen as another strategy in the power tussle.

Pattern or coincidence — the timing of these dinners always seems to match moments of turbulence. Jarkiholi has often emerged as a key figure during leadership pressure cycles. He has held meetings with like-minded MLAs, pushed the Dalit CM narrative, flagged the one-leader-one-post principle before the AICC and even met with Shivakumar. A Delhi dinner between Jarkiholi and Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had added another layer of intrigue. Jarkiholi said he was only briefing the high command on the honey-trap allegation raised by Minister K.N. Rajanna.

Insiders say leadership change is not under discussion. A close aide of Shivakumar said, “Discussions about leadership change are not happening within the Congress. Everybody needs to wait. Any decision will come from the high command."

Jarkiholi too maintained, “There is always leadership inside the party. A leader is picked, and we have picked Siddaramaiah. There won’t be any change in that."

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