Amid raging unrest over the Cauvery issue, the ruling Congress party in Karnataka is back to what it is good at — internal squabbling, palace intrigue, and one-upmanship that have become a routine in the last two months.
After its spectacular win in the do-or-die Assembly elections in May, party cadre and the public had hoped that it would be a different Congress; one that would fight the BJP and JD(S) unitedly. But the recent developments have showed exactly the opposite, allowing the Opposition to set the narrative.
On Thursday, 92-year-old Congress MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa, the party’s senior-most lawmaker by age, dropped a bombshell, alleging that the plight of Lingayat officials in the government “is worse than that of stray dogs”. The Lingayat leader implied that the politically powerful caste is being ignored by the Siddaramaiah government in postings and transfers. His statement might affect the Congress’s Lingayat outreach ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Primary opposition BJP is happy to watch the developments unfold – it still has the support of majority Lingayats and outbursts like Shivashankarappa’s are good for the saffron party.
A week ago, Cooperation Minister and Siddaramaiah loyalist KN Rajanna made an explosive demand, arguing for three Deputy Chief Ministers instead of just one. Even though he advocated that all major castes and communities should be given important posts, it is no secret that he was targeting Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar.
When Shivakumar was forced to accept the number two position in May, he had accepted it on certain conditions, including that he would be the only deputy chief minister.
An unhappy Shivakumar is also said to be eyeing the post of Chief Minister after the Lok Sabha elections. Sources say that, in private, he has expressed his desire to his followers and party MLAs.
Senior Congress leader and MLC BK Hariprasad, who is close to Shivakumar, had organised a public meeting of most backward castes in Bengaluru a few weeks ago where he launched an all-out attack on Siddaramaiah.
What embarrassed the Congress the most was that he had invited some senior BJP leaders to the meeting! An infuriated Siddaramaiah demanded Hariprasad’s dismissal, and the party high command issued him a show cause notice seeking a detailed explanation for his remarks. The Siddaramaiah camp believes that Hariprasad was instigated by Shivakumar. To counter that, the other camp launched the three deputy CMs demand.
Rajanna’s demand has upset Shivakumar and he has complained to the high command as well.
In the meantime, the demand for a Dalit Chief Minister has also returned to the fore.
Embarrassed and disturbed by the sudden attack and counterattacks in public, the Congress high command in New Delhi issued a gag order on all state leaders. But it seems to have little effect on the warring factions.
Majority MLAs and some ministers also feel that certain castes and power brokers in the government are manipulating the system, causing huge damage to the overall party set up in the state. The recent transfer and postings of government employees has also upset many in the party and government.
“We won big. The people of Karnataka voted us to rule firmly and fairly. But some of these people are ruining everything for their personal gains. The same power brokers who were hyperactive during the previous BJP regime are active even now. As far as governance is concerned, nothing much has changed. Unless we fight unitedly, sharing the fruits of power with our own people, we will be back to square one soon,” said a senior Congress MLA on condition of anonymity.
Some feel that Siddaramaiah, who is serving his last term as Chief Minister and MLA, is not the same leader he was. They claim he seems to have lost the political will and the desire to assert himself.
“Siddaramaiah is no doubt our top leader and the most popular face. But the Congress should survive and thrive even after him. The current situation does not offer any hopes. We need to change a lot of things immediately,” said another Congress leader.
The cadre does not want their leaders to damage the party by indulging in internal fights, ignoring the aspirations of a greater and larger following outside. The complete failure of monsoons is also likely to affect the electoral prospects of the Congress.
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