Leadership row in Karnataka’s volatile political turf

Bengaluru: For at least the last two decades, the political leadership in Karnataka’s all three major parties — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S) — has largely hinged on B S Yediyurappa, Siddaramaiah and H D Deve Gowda, respectively

Bengaluru: For at least the last two decades, the political leadership in Karnataka’s all three major parties — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S) — has largely hinged on B S Yediyurappa, Siddaramaiah and H D Deve Gowda, respectively.

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Known for their astute political acumen and coalition-building skills, these three leaders have used their strengths to rise to power or remain well in control of their respective parties, irrespective of being in power or in opposition.

But this consolidation of power has also led to a leadership crisis of sorts within at least the BJP and the Congress, analysts believe, with no real succession plan in place. Smaller but ambitious leaders have seen their attempts to challenge Yediyurappa or Siddaramaiah in their respective parties fade not for the lack of intent but possibly not measuring up in political skill, according to political analysts.

“That’s the thing about some of these old politicians. They never fade away and it becomes a way of life for them,” said a Bengaluru-based political analyst, requesting not to be named.

Despite the national leadership of the BJP indicating its intent to remove Yediyurappa from the chief minister’s post, the 78-year-old has managed to retain the top chair, thwarting attempts from within his own party, both at the state and central level.

“Yediyurappa has made it clear (to the party and high command) that he has the strength of 66 MLAs,” a Bengaluru-based political analyst said, requesting not to be named.

The analyst added that Yediyurappa has the ability, as shown in the past, to sabotage the chances of a party.

Shortly after his taking over as chief minister for a record fourth term in 2019, Yediyurappa was faced with dissent while picking his cabinet. This exacerbated when most of the turncoats and others were placed in the cabinet while seniors and core-party legislators were left out, sowing the seeds of disgruntlement against the 78-year-old. In recent months, more voices have come up against Yediyurappa over the handling--or the lack of it--of the covid-19 pandemic, corruption, non-performance and allegations that his son, BY Vijayendra was running a parallel administration at the behest of the chief minister. Several legislators have since met national leaders seeking the ouster of the chief minister.

A senior BJP national leader told Hindustan Times that Yediyurappa has been surviving on “bonus time”. “Yediyurappa has been given three major concessions: He was reinstated to the post of chief minister despite leaving the party, his age and finally his weakness have all been overlooked. So every day after he became chief minister is a bonus,” said a senior BJP leader, requesting not to be named.

M P Renukacharya, a BJP legislator and political secretary of Yediyurappa, on Monday said he had the signatures of at least 66 MLAs from the party who are with the chief minister, indicating that the 78-year-old had the support of a large section of legislators.

Moreover, the gag order of the BJP on Monday, restricting any legislator from speaking against the chief minister, has upset a few leaders within the party who have sought for a forum to air out their grievances against what they consider “a faulty system”.

“Remarks coming in the media in the last three days are not good for the interest of the party. Few comments from a few people are not the same as that of all MLAs and party workers. We cannot tell our opinion to the media, so we request party leaders to provide us a platform to hear us,” Sunil Kumar, a three-time BJP legislator from Karkala, said in a post on Twitter, tagging senior party leaders like CT Ravi, Arun Singh and Nalin Kumar Kateel.

Yediyurappa’s resistance is in many ways unique compared to his counterparts in other states who have rarely challenged the national leadership and towed the party line.

Analysts say that both Siddaramaiah and Yediyurappa assumed the role of “local chieftains” when their respective central leadership was not very powerful at different points of time.

The situation is similar in the Congress where Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar, two of the tallest leaders within the party, have locked horns and their dislike for each other is no secret.

Shivakumar has long nursed dreams of being considered for the top job but was denied even a spot in the cabinet in 2013 when Siddaramaiah became chief minister. It is only after the intervention of the top leadership that Shivakumar was inducted into the cabinet in the following year.

Shivakumar, as Congress president, has tried to take control of the party but with little success as Siddaramaiah continued to thwart any attempts that appeared as a challenge to his hold, people aware of the developments said.

On Tuesday, Shivakumar said the Congress will triumph in the 2023 assembly elections.

But even a candidate nominated by Shivakumar for the post of state youth Congress was challenged by Siddaramaiah and other leaders, the people cited above added, indicating the power struggle within the Grand Old Party.

Shivakumar brushed aside any reports of a rift within the party.

“Joining together is (the) beginning, thinking together is progress and working together is key to success. One person fighting alone cannot succeed but when party leadership and workers put their best foot forward and work in coordination, we all succeed as a team,” Shivakumar said.

Shivakumar visited Siddaramaiah at the latter’s residence on Tuesday after the former chief minister, who was suffering from high fever, was discharged from hospital on Monday. The JD(S), helmed by 88-year-old former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, remains an important stakeholder in the state as it is the only party that has allied with both the BJP and Congress.

H D Kumaraswamy, Gowda’s son, has been the chief minister both by allying with the BJP and the Congress. However, the family-run party has its own challenges as the BJP continues to make inroads into the Old Mysuru region, a stronghold of the JD(S). Adding to this is the bitter family feud within the Gowda household with the turbulent relationship between Gowda’s two sons, Kumaraswamy and H D Revanna.

Karnataka’s volatile political climate has brought down governments but the leadership somehow tends to brave the storm.