BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah called the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting on Monday with the party high command instructing Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara not to hold the SC/ST legislators’ meeting separately.
Incidentally, Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC president DK Shivakumar has kickstarted organising the party’s rank and file under the ‘Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Constitution’ programme, which was postponed due to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s death. It has now been rescheduled to January 21 in Belagavi.
“The high command has instructed both the chief minister and DCM to control the damage as it felt that the party would be roiled in internal bickering like BJP,” remarked a legislator close to Shivakumar.
Shivakumar on Wednesday held a joint press conference with Parameshwara, PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi, both known to host dinner meetings, Food and Civil Supplies Minister KH Muniyappa and Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar. This was apparently to send out a message that the party is not facing any factionalism.
Shivakumar said, “The CLP meeting has been called to save the values of Gandhiji and Dr BR Ambedkar’s, to protect the Constitution and promote our party’s principles. We will discuss various other issues.”
Asked whether it was to defuse the crisis in the party, he replied, “None of us have differences. If there is a difference, it should be among you (the media). Who said we have a crisis?”
On power sharing, he said, “As a party’s president, the statements of the chief minister and I are final on the government. Other statements have no value.”
On Rajanna’s statement that the high command has turned anti-SC/ST by instructing Parameshwara to cancel the legislators’ meeting of the community, Shivakumar maintained, “I don’t know about that. I will reply only after learning about it.”
Earlier in the day, Parameshwara replied subtly to the turn of events. He clarified that the meeting was not cancelled but only postponed. “If someone says they will not tolerate the SC/ST meeting, we are not bothered. We will give a befitting reply as we have that power,” he added.
He claimed that the meeting was planned to discuss the resolutions passed for the welfare of the communities at a convention held at Chitradurga ahead of the 2023 Assembly polls, at which high command leaders, including AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, were present. “The high command did not object to the SC/ST legislators’ meeting. If it had, it would have asked me to cancel the meeting.
I am not aware of any complaint to the high command that the meeting would take a different dimension. When AICC general secretary (Randeep Singh) Surjewala called me, I told him that there was no political angle to the meeting,” he elaborated.
He admitted that it was not brought to the notice of the high command. “Surjewala wished to take part in the meeting and I have invited him and it will happen. I have postponed it because Surjewala asked me to,” he said. He claimed there was a plan to invite Shivakumar to the meeting as it was not confidential.
“There are many burning issues. Shouldn’t we discuss the problems the Dalit communities are facing, including atrocity cases? Isn’t it good when the high command says they will participate in the meeting,” he asked.
He categorically said that the meeting will happen.