BENGALURU: The Congress high command, aiming to transform the party into a cadre-based entity, reportedly cautioned both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar to not cross the line and to focus on administration to control the damage to both the party and the government.
The warning is significant considering that the AICC session is slated to be held in Ahmedabad on April 8 and 9.
To Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, who were visiting Delhi, the high command gave a talking-to on the alleged honey trap attempt on CM’s close aide and Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna, highly placed sources said. The high command felt that Siddaramaiah did not handle the issue properly, which damaged the party and government, they added.
Opposition leader in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, while talking to Siddaramaiah in Delhi on Thursday, had expressed his displeasure over how the situation was handled. Later, Rahul’s Man Friday and AICC General Secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal dialled Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara and asked him to handle the sensitive issue and to dispose it of as soon as possible. Following up, Parameshwara met top police officers investigating the case on Friday, sources said.
Rahul also advised Siddaramaiah to focus on administration to ensure that no issue lands in BJP’s hands. He was particular about the effective implementation of five guarantees. He suggested to the CM to organise conferences of beneficiaries in four revenue divisions of the state. He promised to take part in them.
Sources said Rahul did not approve the cabinet reshuffle or change in KPCC president’s post. He also did not okay the reinduction of former minister B Nagendra, who resigned over the multicrore ST corporation scam. It is said Siddaramaiah was interested in taking back Nagendra.
Siddaramaiah met AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday and discussed several issues, including the nomination of four MLCs and KPCC president’s post. Kharge said he wants to see Shivakumar continue in the post till the local body polls are held for zilla and taluk panchayats. “A section of legislators in the party is against the continuation of Shivakumar, and Siddaramaiah passed on this message to the high command,” a Congress leader said.
Scouting for the new president is likely to gain momentum after the AICC session in Ahmedabad. Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre, a Veerashaiva Lingayat from the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, has emerged as a frontrunner. He is credited with the victory of his 27-year-old Sagar Khandre as Bidar MP, a Congress leader said.
Meanwhile, Venugopal advised Shivakumar not to insist on his nominee for the KPCC president’s post, in case he has to give it up, a source privy to the developments said. If the high command wishes, Shivakumar is ready to step down after Oct-Nov 2025, when the government completes two-and-a-half years. But he wanted to push his choice to the high command.