'What Advice Can I Give Him’: Meeting Yet To Happen, Shivakumar-Kumaraswamy Rivalry Flares Again
'What Advice Can I Give Him’: Meeting Yet To Happen, Shivakumar-Kumaraswamy Rivalry Flares Again Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: June 10, 2026, 08:50 IST
'What Advice Can I Give Him’: Meeting Yet To Happen, Shivakumar-Kumaraswamy Rivalry Flares Again Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: June 10, 2026, 08:50 IST Kumaraswamy invoked the Sanskrit phrase 'Ati vinayam dhoorta lakshanam' - excessive humility is a sign of cunning - in a swipe at Shivakumar’s outreach to Opposition leaders. Rapid Read Karnataka CM Shivakumar (Left) and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy. File image A meeting that has not even happened is already triggering political sparring between Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, underlining that one of the state’s longest-running rivalries remains as bitter as ever. As Shivakumar embarked on a carefully choreographed outreach exercise after taking oath as Chief Minister – calling on political veterans across party lines, including former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa – speculation grew that he could also meet his old rival Kumaraswamy. But even before any such meeting could materialise, Kumaraswamy dismissed the idea, mocking Shivakumar’s suggestion that he would seek his advice on governance and accusing the Congress of attempting to drive a wedge between the BJP and the JD(S). “What advice can I give him? He has repeatedly asked what I achieved as Chief Minister. If he comes to meet me, it is only for a photograph op. There is nothing more to it," Kumaraswamy said. The Union Minister also invoked the Sanskrit phrase “Ati vinayam dhoorta lakshanam" – excessive humility is a sign of cunning – a remark widely interpreted as a swipe at Shivakumar’s recent efforts to reach out to leaders across the political spectrum. The exchange comes at a politically sensitive moment, with tensions simmering between the ruling Congress and the BJP-JD(S) alliance following the controversy surrounding former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda not being accommodated for another Rajya Sabha term.
Yet the latest war of words is only the latest chapter in one of Karnataka’s longest-running political rivalries. The Shivakumar-Kumaraswamy Rivalry The rivalry between Shivakumar and Kumaraswamy is not merely ideological but also regional, personal and dynastic. Both draw their political strength from the Vokkaliga heartland of Old Mysuru. While Shivakumar built his base in Sathanur and later Kanakapura, the Gowda family established its dominance in Ramanagara and Channapatna. For nearly three decades, the two camps have fought for political supremacy in the region. Every election in Ramanagara, Channapatna, Mandya, Kanakapura and Bengaluru Rural is viewed through the prism of the Shivakumar-Kumaraswamy contest. The battle is also one for leadership of Karnataka’s dominant Vokkaliga community. Shivakumar has emerged as the Congress’s most prominent Vokkaliga face, while Kumaraswamy who inherited the JD(S)’s traditional support base from his father, Deve Gowda, and continues to build it has been to a certain level to keep the Vokkaliga vote intact with the JDS. The rivalry extends beyond the two leaders themselves. Shivakumar’s brother and former MP DK Suresh has repeatedly clashed with the Gowda family electorally. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Kumaraswamy’s brother-in-law CN Manjunath defeated Suresh in Bengaluru Rural, an election that saw a bitter electoral fight and a wound that continues to be raw for the DK brothers. This added yet another chapter to the political feud between DK and HDK. Ironically, the two men have also been allies. In 2018, Shivakumar played a key role in stitching together the Congress-JD(S) coalition that propelled Kumaraswamy to the Chief Minister’s chair. The alliance, however, remained uneasy and collapsed within a year after a rebellion by MLAs. Today, the rivalry has resurfaced over issues ranging from Bengaluru’s development agenda to the proposed Bidadi township and the future political leadership of the Old Mysuru region. Against that backdrop, even a courtesy call has become political ammunition.
The BriefWire