A dinner party hosted by Karnataka PWD minister Satish Jarkiholi has created a flutter in the political circles in Karnataka as Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar was conspicuous by his absence at the meeting attended by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his close aides.
Even as the Congress leaders claimed it to be a “causal dinner” meeting, it is no coincidence that the ministers who attended it belonged to the ‘Ahinda’ (dalit, backward classes and minorities) group, which is lobbying hard for the state party chief’s post, currently held by Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga.
Amid rumours of a power transfer from Siddaramaiah to Shivakumar in November this year (as per the 50:50 power sharing formula) the internal conflict is panning out as a ‘Ahinda’ versus Vokkaliga caste war.
Home Minister G. Parameshwara, Social Welfare Minister Dr H.C. Mahadevappa and Cooperation Minister K.N. Rajanna, along with Satish Jarkiholi, who attended the dinner meeting, have openly supported creation of multiple deputy CMs to give “adequate representation” to all the communities that backed the Congress party in the elections. Also, the timing of the meeting, when Shivakumar is on a foreign tour with his family, has led to speculations over replacing the KPCC president.
The BJP leaders mocked the ruling Congress stating that the internal rift was now wide open.
“As many as 40 MLAs and ministers attended a dinner party in Shivakumar’s absence. The CM is no doubt creating a new faction to tackle Shivakumar,” Union Minister Prahlad Joshi said.
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According to insiders, the power tussle is no longer restricted to the leaders but to the communities, as the Siddaramaiah faction is trying hard to diminish the stature of Shivakumar within the party either by replacing him as KPCC chief or by creating parallel power centres by pushing for three to four deputy CM posts. In a bid to retain the CM post, Siddaramaiah, the tallest Ahinda leader in the state has sought support of the Ahinda leaders. If Jarkiholi, a ST leader from Belagavi is lobbying for the KPCC chief’s post, Parameshwara, an SC leader from Tumakuru, is first in line for the CM’s post if and when Siddaramaiah steps down. With multiple agencies probing the MUDA site allotment scam involving the Siddaramaiah family, the party leadership is in wait-and-watch mode, instead of hastily replacing a mass leader like Siddaramaiah, who continues to enjoy the support of a majority of the legislators.
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Also, Jarkiholi and Parameshwara are also resentful towards Shivakumar over his alleged “interference” in their work. Yemakanamardi MLA Satish Jarkiholi, along with his brothers Ramesh and Balachandra (both BJP legislators), enjoys clout in the politically significant Belagavi district (which has 18 assembly seats). But Shivakumar, a leader from south Karnataka region, backing Women and Child Development minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, also Belagavi rural MLA, is being perceived as a bid to wrest control over north Karnataka region.
Jarkiholi is also upset over the handling of the recent controversy involving Hebbalkar and BJP MLC C.T. Ravi (who allegedly used a derogatory word against Hebbalkar) during the winter session of the state legislature at Belagavi. Sources pointed out that Shivakumar had allegedly given instructions to the police bypassing Jarkiholi, who is the district incharge minister. Home Minister Parameshwara has a similar grouse against Shivakumar as he was kept out of the loop even as the police arrested Ravi and released him following the High Court order.
The tug-of-war which was halted temporarily by the two factions to put up a united fight in the Lok Sabha polls last May, has been revived. Shivakumar, during an obituary reference to former chief minister S.M. Krishna in the state assembly last month, recalled how he had forcibly secured a cabinet berth in Krishna government. He also revealed that his astrologer had advised him to stake claim to what he rightly deserved, hinting that he would stake his claim to the CM’s post.
Prior to this incident, Shivakumar, in an interview, had asserted that he would become the CM at an “appropriate time” and that there has been a “power-sharing agreement” (50:50 formula).
In a counter, a group of Vokkaliga legislators from old Mysore region led by Agriculture Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy has triggered speculation over a pushback from the politically dominant Vokkaliga community, which has traditionally voted for the JD(S). It had extended overwhelming support to the Congress in the May 2023 assembly polls in the hope that a fellow Vokkaliga Shivakumar would become the chief minister.
Those eyeing the KPCC chief’s post argue that the party’s resolution - ‘one man, one post’ - should be adhered to. Also, the tenure of the KPCC chief had ended as Shivakumar was anointed the party chief in November 2020, claimed his detractors.
The internal bickering is sure to further delay the much-awaited cabinet reshuffle and impact the party organisational activities ahead of the ZP and TP polls. Most importantly, it is hinting that the internal turmoil would change the political landscape of Karnataka in 2025.
