Bengaluru, 14 Jan

Minister MB Patil on Wednesday defended Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, saying they did not receive German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during his visit here as it was a private, pre-scheduled programme.

Patil accused the BJP of "politicising" the visit. The BJP had earlier claimed that Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar prioritised meeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi instead of receiving a foreign dignitary.

Meanwhile, Congress MLA Ashok Pattan said that Gandhi has asked Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to visit Delhi, but said the date for the meeting is yet to be finalised.

They can go to Delhi after Sankranti, he added, stating that "everything will be fine after CM, DyCM visits Delhi."

However, Pattan was unclear whether Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar would discuss the Cabinet reshuffle or the leadership row.