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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar offered ‘baagina’ to the Kabini River, showing unity amid discord rumors.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah along with Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar offers ‘bagina’ to River Kapila at Kabini dam. (X)
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar on Sunday offered ’baagina’ (a traditional ritual offering) to the Kabini River, a tributary of the Cauvery, in a symbolic show of unity amid rumours of discord between the two Congress leaders.
As per the video shared by Kannada daily, Prajavani, the two leaders were seen offering the ritual as a gesture of thanksgiving during the auspicious ‘Kanya lagna’ at 11.17 am on Sunday morning.
ಎಚ್.ಡಿ.ಕೋಟೆ (ಮೈಸೂರು ಜಿಲ್ಲೆ): ತಾಲ್ಲೂಕಿನ ಬೀಚನಹಳ್ಳಿಯ ಕಬಿನಿ ಜಲಾಶಯಕ್ಕೆ ಭಾನುವಾರ ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ ಸಿದ್ದರಾಮಯ್ಯ ಮತ್ತು ಉಪ ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ ಡಿ.ಕೆ.ಶಿವಕುಮಾರ್ ಬಾಗಿನ ಅರ್ಪಿಸಿದರು#siddaramaiah #kabini pic.twitter.com/NH7aLQsTbm— Prajavani (@prajavani) July 20, 2025
“By offering baagina, we have offered pooja to Kapila river. It filled up early this year. The river evolves in Wayanad in Kerala and it joins Cauvery river near T Narsipura taluk. Every year Kabini reservoir fills and we offer Bagina to it each time,” the Chief Minister said as quoted by Deccan Herald.
The two leaders appeared together a day after a political controversy erupted over an alleged snub to Shivakumar by Siddaramaiah during the ‘sadhana samavesha’, a Congress event held in Mysuru on Saturday, attended by party president Mallikarjun Kharge.
While addressing the gathering, Siddaramaiah omitted Shivakumar’s name—an omission that prompted criticism and sparked speculation. When a Congress leader reminded Siddaramaiah to mention his deputy, the Chief Minister responded that “protocol required acknowledging only those present on the dais.”
Notably, Shivakumar was present at the event with other senior leaders. However, after delivering his address, he cited an emergency and left for Bengaluru.
Meanwhile, the BJP seized the moment, “terming it an insult” to Shivakumar and hinting at a “rift within the Congress leadership.”
The incident came amid ongoing tensions within the Karnataka government over the CM post, as the Opposition BJP continues to claim that Shivakumar could replace Siddaramaiah.
The Congress leadership has ruled out any plans to replace Siddaramaiah, who has also dismissed rumours about a possible exit.
Meanwhile, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar publicly expressed his support for the Chief Minister.
Despite such gestures and public statements, signs of friction between the two have occasionally surfaced during public events.
The root of the tension dates back to the Congress’s decisive victory in the 2023 assembly elections. Shivakumar, credited for his role in securing the win, was seen as a strong contender for the Chief Minister’s post.
After internal deliberations, the party leadership persuaded him to take on the roles of Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president.
(With inputs from PTI)
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben…Read More
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben… Read More
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