Bengaluru, June 6 (UNI) Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday sought to lower the political temperature between the Centre and the state government, saying both sides should work together for development rather than indulge in political confrontation.
Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks that the Congress was forced to replace its Chief Minister in Karnataka because of growing public dissatisfaction with the government, Shivakumar thanked the Prime Minister for his congratulatory message and stressed the need for cooperation.
"He has wished me, and I thank him for that. I will go and meet him. We should not do politics and they should not do politics either. Let us cooperate on development issues," Shivakumar told reporters here.
The Chief Minister said Karnataka's interests would remain his priority and indicated that he would seek the Centre's support for key development projects and welfare initiatives in the state.
His remarks came a day after Modi, while addressing a public meeting in Surat, launched a sharp attack on the Congress, claiming that the party had been compelled to change its leadership in Karnataka because of mounting public anger against the state government.
"The politics of a crumbling Congress and seeking opportunities in self-created anarchy will not work. In Karnataka too, there is deep anger among the people against the Congress government. That is why Congress has had to change its Chief Minister," Modi had said.
Despite the criticism, Shivakumar adopted a conciliatory stance and recalled that Modi had congratulated him after he took oath as Karnataka's 25th Chief Minister on June 3, assuring cooperation between the Centre and the state for the welfare of the people.
The exchange comes at a time when the newly formed Congress government is seeking to project stability after recent speculation over internal differences, including discontent expressed by senior minister R Ramalinga Reddy over portfolio allocation. Shivakumar on Saturday asserted that all issues within the party had been resolved and described them as internal matters.
Having succeeded veteran Congress leader Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar now faces the challenge of balancing party expectations, maintaining cabinet cohesion and delivering on governance commitments, while navigating a politically charged relationship with the BJP-led Centre.
Political observers view the Chief Minister's outreach as an attempt to position his administration as development-oriented and focused on cooperative federalism, even as political differences between the Congress and the BJP continue to play out at the national level.
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