Siddaramaiah to meet Rahul Gandhi as K'taka Cong rift widens

New Delhi, July 20 The rift in the Karnataka Congress has reached to Delhi and state party president D.K. Shivakumar and Leader of Opposition Siddramiah have been called to iron out differences and work together for the party, sources have said.

Siddaramaiah has denied any rift and said both he and Shivakumar are working together to build the party. "I have been asked to meet Rahul Gandhi," he said.

Sources said both the leaders are likely to meet Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday in New Delhi.

The two leaders are at loggerheads over various issues and the rift has widened when Shivakumar snubbed Siddaramaiah supporters when they projected him as the next chief minister of Karnataka.

The latest issue between them is illegal mining, on which the Karnataka Congress remains a divided house as the state Congress President Shivakumar and opposition leader Siddaramaiah yet again differed on the issue raised by Independent MP Sumalatha.

Siddaramaiah stressed that an investigation should be done, while Shivakumar maintained that there are no reports of illegal mining in the region.