New Delhi, 22 October

Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar arrived in the national capital on Thursday to discuss key state issues with Union ministers, including the Kasturirangan report on the Western Ghats and the fate of IT infrastructure land.

The visit has triggered speculation in political circles and within the ruling Congress, amid the controversy over an alleged sting operation targeting former chief minister and Congress Working Committee member Siddaramaiah.

"We have some issues on the Kasturirangan report and some forest issues, so I requested the forest minister. I could not meet him after I became chief minister, I am just meeting him," Shivakumar told reporters in Delhi.

After meeting Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav, the chief minister is scheduled to meet Union Communications and Development of North Eastern Region Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia.

Shivakumar said he would request the Centre to return the IT land. "They want to auction it, but there are some legal issues," he said, describing the two matters as the main agenda of the day's meetings.

Party sources indicate that the chief minister may also meet Congress high command leaders during the trip.

Shivakumar will return to Bengaluru tonight, as the prime minister of Poland is scheduled to visit the state on Friday.