The Karnataka Congress’s disciplinary committee on Thursday issued showcause notices to an MLA and a former MP of the party for saying that state Congress president and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar would become the chief minister within a few months.The disciplinary committee headed by former Rajya Sabha MP K Rehman Khan issued the notices to Dr H D Ranganath, the Congress MLA for Kunigal in Tumkur, and former Mandya MP L R Shivarame Gowda over statements issued by the two Congress leaders on Wednesday predicting the ascent of Shivakumar to the CM’s post.Both Ranganath, who is a relative of Shivakumar, and Shivarame Gowda are considered close associates of the deputy chief minister. Ranganath sang the RSS anthem at a public event in Tumkur on August 24 to emulate Shivakumar, who sang the anthem in the state Assembly on August 21, before apologising for doing so.The notices to the two Congress leaders have referred to their media statements “regarding the change of Chief Minister” and add that “you made this statement despite the AICC’s instructions not to make any public statements on this issue that may cause any confusion or embarrassment to the party”.“Your media statements in this regard not only embarrass the party but also lead to violation of party discipline. We have taken your unruly statements seriously and have issued you a notice asking for this reason. You have been asked to provide an explanation for your statements within one week of receiving this notice,” the showcause notice stated.The showcause notices are the latest issued to Shivakumar’s supporters by the disciplinary committee. In July, the committee issued a similar notice to the Ramanagara MLA Iqbal Hussain for claiming that Shivakumar would soon become the CM.The statements come in the wake of speculation about an agreement to share power between CM Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for 2.5 years, which has not been acknowledged by the CM.Story continues below this adPower sharing between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar has been a fracture line in the Congress Government in Karnataka since it came to power in May 2023. Shivakumar had held up the government formation after the polls with a demand to be made the CM.Siddaramaiah is widely seen as enjoying the support of the majority of the 135 Congress MLAs, while Shivakumar has been trying to wean away support from the CM over the last two years.Siddaramaiah’s retort to Mallikarjun KhargeCongress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who is seen as a likely replacement for Siddaramaiah in the event of a prolonged standoff for the CM’s post in the coming months, said in July that the Congress high command would decide on a replacement for the CM.However, this provoked a strong response from Siddaramaiah on July 10 in New Delhi, where he stated that he would be the CM for the full term of the Congress Government.Story continues below this ad“A few days ago, I stated that I would be the CM for a full tenure of five years. Why did I say it? Is the chief minister’s position lying vacant? Why is there a discussion on this?” Siddaramaiah said in July in Delhi.Following the statements by the two supporters of Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah said again on Wednesday that he would remain the CM for the remaining 2.5 years of the Congress Government, which will reach its midway mark in November.“People will keep saying things since it will be 2.5 years of the government in November. We will abide by whatever the high command decides, we will go by it,” Siddaramaiah said.“They (BJP) claimed that I would not become a CM for the second time; I have become CM for the second time. They said I would not present the budget this year; I presented the budget. I have been CM for two years and will be the CM for another 2.5 years,” he said amid BJP leaders’ jibes about Siddaramaiah’s tenure coming to an end in a few months.Story continues below this ad“The BJP claimed they could forecast the future and said that I would not be CM for Dasara. They are not predictors of the future. They do not understand the ground situation,” he said.Shivakumar’s responseShivakumar, who is waiting anxiously for the CM’s post, has remarked that the CM’s position decided by the party high command would be the final word on the issue.“Anyone who speaks on the issue of power sharing is anti-party. Talking about this is like harming the party. There is no power-sharing issue. No one has the right to talk about this. This is not being discussed by MLA Ranganath,” Shivakumar said on Thursday.“I have instructed KPCC working president G C Chandrashekhar to give notice to everyone who spoke on the issue. I myself am saying that this issue should not be discussed. Although Siddaramaiah clearly said it yesterday, some media are writing differently. Siddaramaiah’s words are final. However, no one can discuss this issue on top of that,” he said.Kumaraswamy warns ShivakumarStory continues below this adThe deputy CM has in recent weeks faced protests by farmers rallied by the Opposition JD(S) against a proposed Rs 20,000-crore township at Bidadi in Bengaluru South district, for which over 9,000 acres of land need to be acquired.The project was initially proposed by the JD(S) when it was in power in 2007 but was reportedly dropped after opposition by farmer groups.“They claim 3,000–4,000 acres out of 9,000 acres are government-owned, when in reality, only 700 acres belong to the government. These figures are being used to justify the township and loot farmers’ land,” JD(S) leader and Union minister H D Kumaraswamy said recently.“You are making a mistake, and you will face the consequences. For your actions, you may even face imprisonment. This Government has only two years left. I know what will happen after that. Do not harass farmers simply because someone has ordered you to,” he said.Story continues below this adShivakumar has responded by saying Kumaraswamy and others are conspiring to send him to prison.An MLA who is a close associate of Shivakumar is also facing a probe over disproportionate assets in a case registered on the directions of a special court on a private complaint. The Lokayukta police searched premises linked to the MLA, T D Rajegowda, on September 30.