After months of bickering, Karnataka Congress finds itself firmly united in a fight for Siddaramaiah and leading the charge is DK Shivakumar.
Published Aug 17, 2024 | 7:24 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 17, 2024 | 7:24 PM
Siddaramaiah in poll campaign. (X)
When Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, on Saturday, 17 August, accorded sanction to prosecute Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the MUDA land case, he inadvertently gave Congress a reason to look beyond the differences within.
The prosecution sanction, which gives the Opposition BJP-JD(S) ample reason to demand Siddaramaiah’s resignation, has given the Congress a common cause to unite and fight for its leader.
For months now, Congress leaders in Karnataka have been bickering about several issues, including the outcome of the five Guarantees schemes. Disappointed with the below-par performance in the Lok Sabha elections, several leaders found it easier to blame the Guarantees for not yielding the expected results.
Leaders, including MLAs, had started resenting the Siddaramaiah government for sidelining all other schemes, infrastructure projects, and fund allocations in a bid to prioritise Guarantees. The blame quickly shifted to Siddaramaiah and his push for social welfare schemes.
For a party that rode to a landslide victory on a Guarantee wave, Siddaramaiah had hoped Congress leaders would be grateful and appreciative of the Guarantees that brought them the unexpected number of seats but found himself increasingly isolated in the process of implementing the schemes. While the fruits of Guarantees were the Congress’s to relish, the burden of implementing them was Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s alone.
Murmurs of leadership change post Lok Sabha elections, and push for Cabinet reshuffle had all turned Congress in Karnataka into several bickering camps. Just when his rivals in the party were hoping for Siddaramaiah to lose ground over increasing resentment, Governor Gehlot’s decision to allow the chief minister to be prosecuted has turned the tables around. Siddaramaiah is no longer alone. What the Guarantees couldn’t do, the Governor’s prosecution sanction has done — united the Congress to rally behind him.
While the BJP has seized the opportunity to launch a full-throttle attack on Siddaramaiah and force him to step down as the chief minister, the central leadership of Congress is firmly rooting for Siddaramaiah. He isn’t just the Congress’s popular chief minister; Siddaramaiah is among the few bold voices in the party that take on the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre over issues of federalism, finances, language, and rights of the states.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who is projected as the primary contender to replace Siddaramaiah as the chief minister, is leading the charge against the governor and Opposition parties now. Shivakumar on Saturday put up a passionate defense of Siddaramaiah while declaring an open fight against the BJP over the governor’s decision.
The Congress is all set to approach courts against the governor’s decision. Petitions challenging the governor’s decision as well as powers to issue sanctions in this case are set to be filed in the Karnataka High Court.
A change of guard in Karnataka was never on the cards. Even if Opposition leaders hoped that the prosecution sanction would put Siddaramaiah in an untenable position with no alternative but to resign, the Congress is decidedly against giving BJP that win.
If anything, the prosecution sanction will perhaps compound Congress’s poll pitch against the ‘destabilising tactics’ of BJP in poll-bound states like Haryana and Maharashtra. Opposition-ruled states like Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, and Kerala have already accused the BJP of misusing the governor’s office to trouble elected governments. The Karnataka governor’s decision has only pushed the Congress to double down on its support for Siddaramaiah.
Haters, baiters, contenders, supporters, loyalists, and rivals alike are now compelled to band together and put their weight behind Karnataka’s chief minister.
Siddaramaiah is not going anywhere. At least not for now.
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