Mysuru, Jan 13 (NationPress) The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, received a warm welcome upon his arrival at the Mysuru Airport in Karnataka's Mandakalli on Tuesday. He was greeted by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar, along with several other notable Congress figures from the state.

As a gesture of respect, Congress leaders adorned Rahul Gandhi with shawls and presented him with bouquets.

Following this, he departed for Ooty in Tamil Nadu to participate in a private engagement in anticipation of Pongal.

During a media interaction, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah remarked, "Rahul Gandhi is en route to Gudalur near Ooty, and he will return here in the evening before heading to Delhi."

When questioned about political rumors surrounding the Chief Minister's position in Karnataka, CM Siddaramaiah stated, "What rumors? These are merely media-driven speculations. You are the ones generating these speculations; the very act of raising such questions is unfounded. There is no confusion within the party; no significant developments are occurring."

Regarding the comments made by Congress Ramanagara MLA Iqbal Hussain, who claimed that Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar would assume the Chief Minister's role either on January 6 or January 9, Siddaramaiah countered, "Those claims are baseless. Either I should address it, or the Deputy CM should clarify. We are the responsible parties, and we should be aware of the situation. We ought to communicate, correct?"

On the topic of Deputy CM Shivakumar's remarks about honoring commitments, Siddaramaiah responded, "Despite any statements, the ultimate decision will be made by the Congress High Command. Only the media is speculating. Has the high command given any instructions to the MLAs? They have not communicated anything. Whatever the high command decides will be final. Shivakumar has never remarked on keeping a promise; it’s entirely a media fabrication."

When asked about Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's appeal for state leaders to resolve the Chief Minister's position internally, Siddaramaiah stated, "We have had discussions. We held breakfast meetings. Currently, the state MLAs are not communicating, and only the media is speculating."

Siddaramaiah also mentioned a special Cabinet meeting has been convened to address the matter regarding the Chief Minister's post.

"The state budget is set to be presented in the first week of March. The Cabinet Ministers are considering organizing a 'Sadhana Samavesha' to commemorate 1,000 days in Haveri, although a final decision has yet to be made. It is tentatively scheduled for February 13. They are prepared to conduct local body elections, including those for taluk panchayat, corporation, Zilla Panchayat, and Bengaluru civic polls.

Concerning the upcoming local body elections in Karnataka and the alliance between the BJP and JD-S, Siddaramaiah stated, "H.D. Kumaraswamy was unwell, but he is now in good health and active. This alliance will not pose a challenge for us. The BJP and JD-S will nominate a single candidate. The political landscape will remain stable. It revolves around the votes for the Congress party versus votes against it."