Bengaluru, Jan 15 (IANS) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday said that meeting Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is nothing new for him and is a “natural process”.

Shivakumar’s comment during a media interaction came ahead of his departure for New Delhi to attend the meeting of Congress election observers appointed to various states. Shivakumar, who is also the state party chief, has been appointed as the senior election observer for Assam.

Asked whether he had sought time to meet Rahul Gandhi, he said: “When I go to Delhi, all the leaders will be there. I will meet them.”

On whether his supporters and MLAs of his camp were happy after his meeting with Rahul Gandhi at the Mysuru airport, Shivakumar said: “Rahul Gandhi is our party leader. Meeting our party leaders and the President, and holding discussions over the phone, is a natural process. We do not discuss such matters publicly.”

Asked whether he would convey the wishes of his close aides that he should become the CM to Rahul Gandhi, he said: “I will convey your (the media’s) wishes to him.”

Commenting on the talks surrounding his cryptic social media post that ‘efforts may fail but prayers won’t’, Shivakumar maintained that there was no point in interpreting his post on X differently.

The post, which came after a meeting and a private chat with Rahul Gandhi, had led to many speculations.

“I tweeted conveying Sankranti greetings to the people of Karnataka, stating that even if efforts fail, prayers do not fail. Some sections of the media are interpreting the post in different ways. In the Cauvery Aarti matter, the court has ruled in our favour. In the Mekedatu project, directions have been given that the technical aspects should be decided by the Central Water Commission. It is in this context that I made the statement. There is no point in interpreting it differently,” he maintained.

–IANS

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