Siddaramaiah is without a doubt the tallest leader of Karnataka, but D.K. Shivakumar’s elevation to the position of the State Chief Minister, has brought some cheer to the ordinary Congress workers, who were feeling marginalized due to undue importance being given to leaders who had come from the Janata Dal (Secular), but dominated government affairs.
Yes, there are cynics who believe that because of the outgoing CM’s immense popularity, and his expertise in stitching caste and community equations, D.K., may be walking into a minefield of sorts. The decision of Siddaramaiah to stay back in Karnataka as an MLA and “serve the people’’ is a warning to the Congress High Command that he would continue to be a center of power, and his words should not be taken lightly.
Siddaramaiah agreed to step down as a part of the agreement reached with D.K. Shivakumar at the time of the formation of the Congress government, but he is perhaps feeling slighted at being relieved of the responsibility so suddenly. When he arrived in Delhi to meet the central leadership, he was confident that he would get his way and the permission to revamp his Cabinet. He even had his ministers with him, and presented a sort of show of strength when photographs of his along with his senior colleagues were released ahead of the crucial meeting at the Indira Bhawan.
Shivakumar too had been summoned to the capital and he met various functionaries before coming to the venue. There were two rounds held. In the pre-lunch session, Siddaramaiah was confident that he would prevail. However, in the post lunch period, in his one-on-one interaction with Rahul Gandhi, the latter dropped a bombshell, and suggested to him to put in his papers for his sake since the agreement had to be honoured.
A seasoned politician, Siddaramaiah though totally stunned by the development, did not react and instead chose to ask for 48 hours to consult his supporters. Rahul’s estimation was that he would quit by June 18th and by that time the Rajya Sabha polls shall be over. Congress is expecting to win three of the seats and some more in the MLC elections to be notified later.
The spotlight was on Siddaramaiah as he reached Bengaluru, and after some suspense announced that he would be making way for D.K. Shivakumar as he had been directed to step down’’ by the High Command which had provided him with multiple opportunities to “serve the people of the State in various capacities’’ since the time he was invited to join the party by Sonia Gandhi.
He went on to submit his resignation to the Governor, who was out of town but was persuaded to come back and accept it. Siddaramaiah confirmed that he had been offered a Rajya Sabha and important responsibilities in Delhi, but he had decided to stay back in Bengaluru as this was the mandate given to him by his people. He also declared that he would be going back to the national capital to meet the Congress leadership which he did on Thursday with picture of his hugging Rahul Gandhi getting viral.
Although, it is difficult to know the exact details of what transpired during his meeting with Rahul, all sorts of unauthenticated information kept circulating in the corridors of power. There were reports that the outgoing CM had provided his wish list for the Rajya Sabha and Council seats, and given the names of his supporters whom he wants to be accommodated in the government and in the party. He also spoke about strengthening the Ahinda alliance of backwards, Dalits and Minorities.
Siddaramaiah’s moves may have caught the High Command by surprise but D.K. Shivakumar, is not rattled and has got down to giving shape to his own plans. His first test would be to get past the Legislative Party meeting in Bengaluru on Saturday evening, and he has told the central leaders that he would like to have a Cabinet of younger people and those who have a clean image. Some of the heavyweights may get sidelined if his proposal gets the nod from the Delhi Bosses.
He realizes that he has to prevail in this tussle with his predecessor, and simultaneously put the opponents on the mat. His appointment would strengthen the Congress vote base amongst Vokkaligas, the community he belongs to. Till now, majority of Vokkaligas, who dominate the Mysore region, were with JD (S) Secular and owed allegiance to Former Prime Minister HD Deva Gowda and his son HD Kumaraswamy.
Shivakumar would also want to give greater prominence to those who have been with the Congress all along and thus may press the central leadership to appoint the State president of his choice, and not someone from the faction which had come from JD (S) along with Siddaramaiah. He will resist the demand to have a coordination committee between the party and the government and instead have his select people for the key positions. Shivakumar wants to have a say in the selection of Rajya Sabha nominees and his wish list could include giving one berth to YS Sharmila, president of Andhra PCC and daughter of the late YS Rajsekhar Reddy. The next party target is to reclaim Andhra.
D.K. is no green horn and knows what Siddaramaiah is capable of doing. He would perhaps accommodate his son in a key position but would dig in his heels. His time has started. Between us.
