Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar hugged party heavyweight Siddaramaiah on his 75th birthday in a public show of unity and bonhomie on Wednesday, prompting Rahul Gandhi to express happiness.
Mr Shivakumar and Mr Siddaramaiah are considered front-runners for Chief Minister's post in the event of Congress coming to power after Assembly elections, due in April-May next year.
Though both Mr Siddaramaiah and Mr Shivakumar have on record maintained that the Chief Minister will be decided by party's newly elected MLAs and high command on gaining majority in the polls, their loyalists and supporters have been projecting their leader, leading to unease in the party.
Speaking at a mega event to celebrate his birthday, Mr Siddaramaiah asserted that the talk that there is a rift between him and Mr Shivakumar is an "illusion and creation" of opposition parties.
"Shivakumar and I are together. There is no difference of opinion among us", he said.
Mr Shivakumar, in his speech, said the Congress has decided to fight the Assembly elections under collective leadership.
"Today, I was happy to see Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar hugging each other on the stage", Rahul Gandhi said at the event after Mr Shivakumar felicitated Mr Siddaramaiah, a former Chief Minister, on his 75th birthday and hugged him in the presence of Rahul Gandhi.
Mr Gandhi said Mr Shivakumar has done tremendous work for the Congress organisation.
Virtually sounding the election bugle, he said: "The Congress party is completely united to defeat BJP and RSS in Karnataka".
When the Congress comes to power, it will give a "clean and honest" government which will work for the future of the state and it will not spread hatred, Mr Gandhi said.
Referring to three murders with alleged communal overtones in the coastal region of the State in the last few days, he said such type of violence had not taken place in Karnataka in the past.
"When we ask people in the United States what do they think of Karnataka today, they will say to you that Karnataka never witnessed the type of violence it is facing today", he said.
"They will say to you that when Congress was in power, Karnataka was in harmony," Mr Gandhi added.
Greeting Mr Siddaramaiah on his birthday, he said: "He is one person who looks younger as he grows older".
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
"Congress Will Win, Exit Poll Predictions Will Be Reversed": DK Shivakumar Karnataka's Nandini Dairy Brand Enters Delhi NCR With Prices Lower Than Competitors Doctors Demand Rahul Gandhi's Apology Over "Memory Loss" Remark On Biden "World War 3 Has Begun": Ukraine Ex-Military Commander Amid Russia Conflict Amazon Employee Greets Friend At Wedding, Dies Of Cardiac Arrest AAP's 7 'Revdis' Ahead Of Delhi Polls: Electricity, Education, Water Has There Been An Undercount Of Punjab Farm Fires? What Satellite Pics Show Speed, Range, Threat: All About Russia's Oreshnik Missile Fired On Ukraine Bodies Of Infant, 5 Hostages Of Same Family Killed In Manipur Brought Home Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.