Mysore/Mysuru: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s brief stop in Mysuru yesterday was marked by ceremonial welcomes and subtle signals of divergence among Karnataka’s top leadership.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah received him with a bouquet and presented a replica of the Mysore Palace, while Energy Minister K.J. George gifted a miniature elephant. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar also welcomed Rahul Gandhi with a bouquet.
After Rahul Gandhi left for Tamil Nadu, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar walked out of the Airport together. Siddaramaiah was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour, which Shivakumar was seen observing closely.
However, when Siddaramaiah moved towards the press gallery to address media persons, Shivakumar quietly left the venue. Later, Siddaramaiah returned to his residence at T.K. Layout, while Shivakumar checked into the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel.
When Rahul Gandhi returned from Gudalur in the evening, both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were present at the Airport, but they bid him farewell separately before proceeding to Bengaluru by different routes.
The sequence of events has further fuelled speculation about the uneasy equation between the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy.
