Behind the News is your round-up of musings from the corridors of power. Read what goes on behind the scenes for news & newsmakers.
DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah with Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi. (Supplied)
At first look, the Indian National Congress may seem like “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma,” as Winston Churchill observed about the erstwhile Soviet Union.
Churchill made the observation in 1939, three years after the Congress witnessed a power struggle that eventually led to the resignation of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose from the party’s presidentship, which he had won by defeating Dr Pattabhi Sitaramayya, Mahatma Gandhi’s candidate.
Despite the frequent internal squabbles for power at the party’s different levels — from the grassroots (wherever it is present) to the top echelons — it stays afloat and cannot be written off..
In between it comes up with quotable quotes. Sample these two recent ones: “I am here to open shops of love in the market of hatred”, and “power sharing means sharing power with the people of Karnataka”.
The rhetoric is not lost, as pro-Congress handles on social media celebrate them. But for those who matter, the statements are not etched in stone.
The second statement quoted above came two days before SIddaramaiah took oath in Karnataka. Earlier, multiple media reports had mentioned the possibility of Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, now his deputy in the Cabinet, sharing the office of the chief minister.
The power struggle between the two groups reared its head again when Minister for Social Welfare HC Mahadevappa stated in Mysuru that Siddaramaiah would complete five years as the chief minister.
The statement angered DK Suresh, Bengaluru Rural MP, and brother of Shivakumar.
“He is a mature leader and works on certain ideologies. He has kept his political powers. He is working as one of the senior ministers in the government. He has more interest in other matters instead of delivering his duties as a minister,” Suresh taunted Mahadevappa, a close aide of Siddaramaiah.
Earlier, Minister MB Patil, too, had batted for Siddaramaiah. Meanwhile, the BJP, too is adding fuel to the fire within the Congress, comparing Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.
Beyond the surface, the picture becomes clearer. Despite the façade of unity, the hunger for power becomes visible, exposing the enigma, the riddle, and the mystery, lock stock, and barrel.
And it’s keeping the flock together as well.
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