D N Singh( Special)
It is a peculiar situation in Karnataka, even after all that went in favour of the Congress, there is little left for the Pradesh Congress chief D K Shivkumar to openly cheer about. He has been offered the Deputy chief minister ship do trigger a very frugal reaction from him oscillating in between Yes & No.
Caught in a tight noose of charges of corruption obviously the man in focus lost some shine and it became easy for the party high command to go in favor of Siddaramaiah. In that case, the only option left for Shivkumar is accept the diktat of being the deputy CM or refuse.
However, as reports can be read that he has agreed (‘sacrificed’) with the party and ate the humble pie. Which obviously leaves the politics in Karnataka little as much as what prevails in Rajasthan. An undercurrent of animus between the both, Siddaramaiah and Shivkumar. Which may sow seeds of contempt in the days to come.
However, dubbed as the Congress’ ‘trouble-shooter’, Shivakumar is set to take oath as Karnataka’s Deputy CM on 20 May.
What helped Siddaramaiah to get pitch-forked than Shivkumar.
Was it his seniority and vast experience and the support he enjoys among Dalits and OBCs?
What made Shivkumar to genuflect before such a decision. Sourcesin Karnataka would have us believe that,
the Congress didn’t have anything respectable to give Siddaramaiah, Had they gone with Shivakumar a revolt may have been bred. Being a former CM, Siddaramaiah couldn’t have been expected to become deputy CM and there’s nothing they could have given him nationally.
On the other hand, Shivakumar credited himself for the hard work he had put in for the party as the Karnataka PCC chief since he took over in 2020.
He had cited the sacrifices he made for the party, especially the manner in which he was arrested and kept in jail for 50 days. He claims that despite offers from the BJP to join and escape this predicament, he remained firmly loyal to the party.
The camp loyal to Shivkumar has also been alleging that Siddaramaiah in comparison is not an organisation man and doesn’t contribute to the party as much.
Different matter that Shivakumar expressed his reluctance to take over as Deputy chief minister as the position itself doesn’t hold much value.
The assurance of being made eventually the CM either in the middle of the term as part of a power sharing arrangement or after five years also didn’t inspire much trust, given how similar promises turned out in states like Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
Shiv swallowed his pride, not goal
Notwithstanding the immense contribution made by Shivkumar the party even thinking that CM ship was a justified for the latter, it could not.
Both Randeep Surjewala and KC Venugopal did say in the press conference that both Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar were worthy of being CMs. This reflects the position of the current Congress president as well as the Gandhi family.
Party president Mallikarjun Kharge and former presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi all spoke to Shivakumar in person. He is said to have been given an assurance that his chance would come.
Kharge the man who missed the bus more often than not. Who was said to have cited the example of his own career, how he was overlooked many times for the CM’s chair in Karnataka, despite his seniority. He could have become CM in 1999, 2004 or 2013, but lost out to leaders like SM Krishna, Dharam Singh and Siddaramaiah. And yet now he has become more powerful than any current or former CM, due to his loyalty and commitment to the organisation.
Next CM Shivkumar! on the run up to the 2024 when he has assured leave no stone unturned to see that K’taka registers a mighty presence post 2024.
Despite winning a thumping majority in 2013, the Congress could manage to win just nine out of 28 seats in 2014. That was at a time when Siddaramaiah was at the peak of his popularity.
“Which Siddaramaiah would not like that Shivkumar on his strength delivers even half seats for Karnataka then he would be in a position to bargain for the chief minister ship thus forcing the high command to go for a quick change” said Pramod Raghavan, Bengaluru based senior journalist and pollster.
