'Not official': Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah clarifies on Randeep Surjewala meeting row

"Surjewala did not officiate in any meeting. It also was not an official meeting. He only spoke to some MLAs. The Deputy Chief Minister (DK Shivakumar) was present there," he told reporters.

The Bengaluru city MLAs were summoned for the Bengaluru civic body election where Surjewala had also gone, Siddaramaiah said.

Meanwhile, a BJP delegation led by R Ashoka has sought an appointment with Governor Thawaarchand Gehlot in this regard.

On Tuesday, BJP leader Mohan Krishna termed the presence of Surjewala in the meeting as former Congress President Sonia Gandhi's proxy rule in Karnataka, in a repeat of her role during the UPA rule at the centre as "Super PM".

JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy also alluded to Sonia Gandhi's proxy rule in Karnataka.

The controversy erupted soon after Congress shared a photograph of the meeting on its Twitter handle in which Surjewala is seen sitting in a chair placed at the centre with Shivakumar sitting beside him.

Also present in the photo were top government and BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) officials along with minister Zameer Ahmed Khan and KJ George.

"What is the secret of #ATMSarkara?' ATMSarkara's clandestine meeting at Shangri-La Hotel, Bengaluru? What has Congress state in-charge Randeep Surjewala to do with the senior BBMP officials, who have no official relationship with either the state government or BBMP? Is this an 85 per cent deal-fixing meeting? Please answer @Siddaramaih Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and @DKShivakumar D K Shivakumar," BJP had tweeted.