BENGALURU: Siddaramaiah is not just another Congress chief minister who has been accommodated in the party’s highest decision-making body — Congress Working Committee. Many within the party believe that Siddaramaiah is far more relevant to the grand old party than just a former chief minister. His mass appeal, position as a towering backward classes leader, non-conformist image, style of combat with Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the assembly elections, and most importantly, his ‘outsider’ image within the Congress, the party hopes, will come in handy ahead of Lok Sabha elections.
The ‘outsider’ tag has haunted Siddaramaiah throughout his political career in the Congress, but this very tag will perhaps help him strengthen the united anti-BJP front, party insiders hope. They believe that his image as a “non-original Congressman” will help him break the ice with leaders of other parties. Congress wants people who can stitch up alliances — especially with parties that are backward classes and social justice oriented — and Siddaramaiah fits the bill perfectly. Siddaramaiah’s image catapulted among non-BJP parties in the run-up to the Karnataka polls for the way he took on Modi, forcing the narrative to become a Siddaramaiah versus Modi fight. The party hopes to cash in on this image.
He is often referred to as former prime minister H D Devegowda. “Siddaramaiah, much like Devegowda, has the ability to build a local coalition. That is something only few others in Congress have. Siddaramaiah can’t work without a coalition much like how the Jarkiholi brothers mobilise around him,” political analyst Prof Narendar Pani said. “Rahul Gandhi is fond of Siddaramaiah and there is a concrete plan for him at the national level, but Siddaramaiah is reluctant. He has the potential to play a big role,” a Congress legislator from Karnataka said.
The newly appointed KPCC chief agrees. “Siddaramaiah has friends across parties and will play a role at the national level in the emergence of the coalition front,” KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao told The New Indian Express. Political analysts, however, are not completely convinced with Siddaramaiah’s pull at the national level. “Siddaramaiah has friends across parties, but the question is, are they the decision makers in the party?” asked political scientist Dr Sandeep Shastri.
He believes that Siddaramaiah’s inclusion in the CWC, apart from the common practice of accommodating chief ministers, is an indication of how important Karnataka is for the Congress, and Siddaramaiah’s image as a popular backward classes leader with an ideology of social justice. The backward classes movement and social justice are the most important factors for the Congress in the run-up to 2019. The party doesn’t want H D Kumaraswamy — whose swearing-in ceremony marked the coming together of non-BJP parties — to be the single-point reference for a united opposition. “Kumaraswamy is just a coalition partner. The focus is on strengthening our party and Siddaramaiah will be utilised for backward classes consolidation with leaders like Mayawati, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Sharad Pawar and Mulayam Singh Yadav in mind,” a senior Congress leader said.