Mangaluru, Feb 7 (NationPress) In light of recent events regarding the leadership conflict and his faction advocating for his nomination as Chief Minister, Karnataka's Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar emphasized the necessity to heed the directives of the party.

During a press briefing in Mangaluru, when queried about the public's hopes for his ascension to the Chief Minister role, Shivakumar stated, "Individuals have aspirations, MLAs have aspirations, and even you (the media) have aspirations. We must follow what the party dictates."

When asked if a power-sharing arrangement might emerge post the State Budget, he remarked, "The passage of time will reveal the answer."

In response to Dalit groups expressing their wish for Home Minister G. Parameshwara to take on the Chief Minister position, he noted, "Supporters have their own hopes. I cannot dismiss that, and there is nothing inappropriate about it."

The leadership conflict has reemerged in Karnataka, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's son and Congress MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah asserting that calls for a leadership overhaul have not been acknowledged by the Congress central leadership, affirming that his father will serve as Chief Minister for a full term of five years.

In comments to reporters in Mysuru on Friday, Yathindra's statements took on added importance amid speculation that they aimed to counter Congress MLA Shivaganga Basavaraj, a dedicated supporter of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

Basavaraj had urged the party hierarchy to resolve the ambiguity concerning the leadership situation in the state and made his comments on Thursday.

In response to Yathindra's assertion that there would be no change in leadership in the state and his father would fulfill the entire term, Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar quipped, "The CM's son is our high command, and I will respect whatever he states."

Shivakumar remarked, "He himself constitutes our high command. Whatever he articulates, I will accept with reverence. Given that he has made a pronouncement as if he is the high command, let us regard him as such."

On the topic of the recent metro fare increase, Shivakumar indicated, "A separate committee is tasked with determining metro fares, and our state government was not consulted regarding the latest fare hike."

He added, "A distinct committee led by a Union government secretary oversees the decisions on metro fares. Our input was not requested concerning the fare increase."

He stated that he would revisit the issue after returning to Bengaluru, declaring, "We aim to avoid causing inconvenience to the public. I will assess the financial implications," he concluded.