Chief Minister Siddaramaiah here today committed to providing five acres of land for a new Shivagiri Matha branch in either Mangaluru or Udupi, offering a significant boost to the Kerala-based spiritual centre’s expansion in coastal Karnataka. He made the announcement while addressing the centenary commemorations of the Narayana Guru–Gandhi dialogue at Mangaluru University.

Shivagiri Matha Secretary Shubhagananda Swamiji appealed to the government to support the land request, emphasising the matha’s role in community upliftment. Siddaramaiah said he had already instructed officials to begin identifying land parcels. Congress leader B.K. Hariprasad welcomed the move and recalled that the government had earlier sanctioned Rs 2 crore for a Narayana Guru Study Centre on the campus.

K.C. Venugopal, AICC general secretary and chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, said the teachings of Narayana Guru and Mahatma Gandhi form the moral foundation of the Constitution and must be protected at a time when constitutional values face ideological strain.

Speaker U.T. Khader announced that a park and stadium will be named after both leaders to honour their contributions. Cabinet ministers G. Parameshwara and Lakshmi Hebbalkar also attended.

However, it was Siddaramaiah’s political huddle with Venugopal on the sidelines of the event that generated wider interest.

The meeting came amid fresh murmurs within the Congress over a possible rotation of the Chief Minister’s post between Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar — a subject repeatedly dismissed by the party publicly, but one that continues to surface within state political circles.

The speculation intensified after a recent video surfaced in which Siddaramaiah, responding to questions about leadership transition, remarked: “Politics is not permanent; it’s not our father’s property,” adding that he was “not bothered” by ongoing talk about a deal.

Though the context of the conversation remains unclear, the comments have been widely interpreted as a sign that discussions on future power arrangements remain active behind closed doors.