BENGALURU: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar, who is in the race for the chief minister’s post if the Congress returns to power in Karnataka, on Saturday sprung a surprise by issuing a statement that he is ready to work under All-India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge if the latter wished to become chief minister.
“He is my leader and AICC chief. I love to work under him (Kharge),” Shivakumar said while replying to a query on whether he would willingly sacrifice the top post if Kharge threw his hat in the ring.
Shivakumar substantiated his statement while highlighting that the eighty-year-old Congress leader Kharge had himself made sacrifices in the past to abide by the party high command’s decisions.
“For our state and our country, he is an asset, and I will abide by the decision of the party. He is senior to me by 20 years. I came (to the Assembly) in 1985 and Kharge in 1972. Kharge had resigned as Congress Legislature Party leader at midnight (to switch to national politics on the party high command’s instruction to make way for Siddaramaiah to take over as CLP leader in June 2009). He rose through the party ranks to become AICC president, which is not possible in any other party. It is possible only in Congress. The state unit received the much-needed boost after Kharge became AICC president. So, I will not go against his wishes,” he said.
Kharge was in race for CM’s post after Cong’s 1999 win
In the run up to the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka, Shivakumar’s statement is likely to spark fresh speculations over the chief minister’s post if Congress returns to power. It is likely to bring to the fore the Dalit chief minister issue. It is also being analysed by political pundits as a “checkmate” to Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Siddaramaiah, who did not mince words while expressing that he is seeking the second term as chief minister and that he is contesting the Assembly elections for the last time.
Former Prime Minister and JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda had said JDS would have readily offered support to Congress in the 2018 Assembly elections if it made Kharge its chief ministerial candidate.
Kharge was also in the race for the top post in 1999 when the party came to power, but SM Krishna sealed the deal with the blessings of the party high command.
In 2005, Kharge was appointed Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president but the party did not come to power in 2008 under his leadership, although it put up a good show compared to the 2004 Assembly elections. He eventually became leader of the opposition for the second time. Now, the billion dollar question is will he return to state politics if the situation demands?