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Congress infighting rages over Karnataka CM pick
People aware of the developments said that the induction of people, including present and former MLAs from other parties without consulting district-level leaders is one of the reasons for the growing rift, adding to the factionalism within the party that aims to return to power on its own in 2023.
The infighting within the Congress seems to have intensified in recent weeks as two of the party’s frontline leaders — Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief DK Shivakumar — continue to lock horns, denting the party’s chances to put up a united front in the upcoming elections or combine their strength to defeat the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
People aware of the developments said that the induction of people, including present and former MLAs from other parties without consulting district-level leaders is one of the reasons for the growing rift, adding to the factionalism within the party that aims to return to power on its own in 2023.
“The main issue is who will be announced as the chief ministerial candidate and who will actually be chosen to take the chair if the party comes to power. The high command can call the two leaders, work out a compromise formula of power sharing to end the conflict but this has not happened so far,” said a person closely aware of the party developments.
The recent induction of the Janata Dal (Secular) legislator Srinivas Gowda who cross-voted in the June 10 Rajya Sabha elections, former Mulbagal MLA Kothur Manjunath and former Chintamani MLA M C Sudhakar among others into the Congress has ruffled feathers of leaders like KH Muniyappa among others who are miffed at Siddaramaiah.
Previously, the AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, had to share a statement to douse the friction within its party leadership in Kolara.
“KH Muniyappa is a senior leader with profound experience and commitment to the Congress party. To put up a strong fight (to defeat the BJP), we decided to forego all the differences and bitterness of the past,” Surjewala had said on June 30.
“This is more to do with Kolar district politics. There is a lot of friction between Congress leaders here and Muniyappa is angry with KR Ramesh Kumar who brought these people into the party,” said another person aware of the developments, requesting anonymity.
Former Karnataka assembly speaker Ramesh Kumar was attributed as the main reason for Muniyappa’s defeat in the 2019 parliamentary elections in which the Congress and their then alliance partner, JD(S), were reduced to just one seat each out of the 28 in the state.
Siddaramaiah, who lost from Chamundeshwari in 2018 despite being the sitting chief minister, had found refuge in his second seat, Badami where he won with a narrow margin. Siddaramaiah is unlikely to contest from Badami in 2023 and is currently scouting for a new constituency as his son, Dr Yathindra, is the legislator from Varuna in Mysuru, his former seat.
Kolar is one of the districts that Siddaramaiah has his eyes set on and the recent induction of leaders from the district is also a part of the same strategy, said the person citied above.
With MLAs openly backing Siddaramaiah, he has the upper hand in battle for dominance as the said MLAs had even defied Shivakumar in calling the former as the ‘next CM of Karnataka’.
On August 3, Siddaramaiah loyalists are holding “Siddaramahotsava” to celebrate the 75th birthday of the former chief minister in Davangere which is more of a show of strength, people aware of the developments said.
Though the loyalists organising this event were trying to state that this was not a ‘party event’, Shivakumar on Thursday tried to take the sting out of the celebrations.
“Our opposition leader is stepping into his 75th year. He has invited Rahul Gandhi and other leaders. This is not a non-political event and is being organised under the party’s consent. We are all participating in it,” Shivakumar said on Thursday.
Meanwhile, state BJP chief Nalin Kumar Kateel said on Thursday that events around Siddaramaiah’s birthday are giving sleepless nights to Shivakumar.
“They are doing Siddaramahotsava not against the BJP but for the Congress. This is being done for him to assert his position, a show of strength and pressure the Congress high command into announcing him (Siddaramaiah) as the chief ministerial candidate. It is also to finish off DK Shivakumar,” Kateel said.
He added that Siddaramaiah had the habit of finishing off leaders in his conquest for power and named HD Deve Gowda, JD(S), Mallikarjuna Kharge, G Parameshwara among others who have fallen victim to the former chief minister’s politics.
