From a shaky start to a home run. Five months in office, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has not only sidelined rivals within his party with clinical precision, he is now gunning for the guru himself—his mentor and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda—on the latter’s home turf.
The seemingly laidback and rustic Siddaramaiah, considered by many to be lacking in political wisdom, is showing his detractors that he has not only learnt the art of checkmating rivals well from Deve Gowda, he is also not hesitant about using that wisdom on the one who taught him.
TAKING ON THE MASTER
Siddaramaiah's lack of sophistication and social niceties are mistaken for arrogance, but never has he been perceived as vindictive. But, the CM is proving that he can be ruthless with rivals. The crushing defeat he handed the JD(S) in its backyard of Mandya and Bangalore Rural during the Lok Sabha bypolls is a case in point.
It was a fight for supremacy between Deve Gowda and Siddaramaiah and the latter used every trick in the book to counter his mentor. After working with him for over two decades, Siddaramaiah could read Deve Gowda like the back of his hand and countered him with similar strategies.
Siddaramaiah went to the homes of local leaders from rival parties besides winning the confidence of several JD(S) leaders like former Speaker K R Pet Krishna. The victory pushed him closer to emerging as an unquestioned leader in the party and the government.
Now Siddaramaiah is keen to defeat Deve Gowda in Hassan, the Lok Sabha constituency represented by the former PM. He recently held a Janata Darshan in Hassan, where he asked the people to defeat Deve Gowda and questioned his contribution to the district.
Deve Gowda’s sons reacted furiously. Former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy termed the CM “arrogant and one who has forgotten his past,” while his older sibling and former minister H D Revanna accused Siddaramaiah of not releasing funds for Hassan district.
PRECISION PLANNING
Belonging to the shepherd community (Kuruba), the group with little over 6 per cent votes in Karnataka, Siddaramaiah has created a new social coalition Ahinda—an acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits—to take on Lingayats and Vokkaligas.
And the heartburn is showing among foes. Efforts have been made within the Congress to unsettle Siddaramaiah through proxy wars, much like how rival factions in the previous BJP regimes tried to take on their CMs—B S Yeddyurappa, D V Sadananda Gowda and later Jagadish Shettar.
In the latest instance, a story was spread that 20 Congress legislators, upset with Siddaramaiah’s style, had written to AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Digvijaya Singh.
They asked Singh to convene a legislature party meeting. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief G Parameswara also sent a report to the party high command on the “attitude” of the CM, the leaders alleged.
Among the 20 MLAs said to have signed the letter were former KPCC working president D K Shivakumar and Chikpet MLA R V Devaraj. Both denied any involvement and expressed solidarity with the Chief Minister.
Parameshwara alleged that it was a “conspiracy by the opposition to create a rift," and he that has not written a letter against the CM. He also dismissed that there was any revolt against the CM.
Siddaramaiah too quickly moved in to allay rumours. “There is no discontent. Some forces which are against me are spreading such baseless news,” he said.
This, however, is not the first time the party’s internal tensions have shown. Ever since Congress came to power in May, such battles have erupted every now and then.
According to political analyst and psephologist Sandeep Shastri, this “sabre rattling” is nothing new in Congress. “The CM is trying to position himself by forming a new social coalition. Parameshwara also stakes a claim to the same. Since the CM wants to cement his position, Parameshwara feels helpless as he is not part of the government. This shadow-boxing will continue,” he said.
“Siddaramaiah is growing from strength to strength. He has been able to keep people like Parameshwara and D K Shivakumar at bay. The Congress too is aware of this. But they have no replacement,” said Harish Ramaswamy, who is completing his book Karnataka Government and Politics - Volume II, adding Siddaramaiah has consolidated 10 to 12 per cent votes.
He adding that even Siddaramaiah knows that the party is dependent on him to win a sizeable number of Lok Sabha seats.
Siddaramaiah is said to have played a role in ensuring Parameshwara’s defeat as he was one of the main contenders for the top post. He even managed to keep a potential threat like Shivakumar out by convincing the party brass to keep the tainted out of the Cabinet. Shivakumar is accused of involvement in illegal mining. The CM also sidelined several senior Congress leaders while giving importance to his “friends” from the Janata Parivar and juniors who are no threat to his position.
A look at the Cabinet composition indicates that Siddaramaiah has managed to keep seniors like T B Jayachandra and R V Deshpande in check by giving them insignificant portfolios like Law and Parliamentary Affairs and Higher Education respectively. First time ministers like Krishna Byregowda, Dinesh Gundurao, U T Khadar, M B Patil, H Anjaneya have been given key portfolios like Agriculture, Food and Civil Supplies, Health, Water Resources and Social Welfare. A lightweight like K J George was given the all-important Home department while other plum posts were given to the CM’s close aides H C Mahadevappa (PWD), V Sreenivas Prasad (Revenue), H S Mahadeva Prasad (Cooperation) and Satish Jharkiholi (Excise).
BUILDING A BRAND
Clad in his trademark white dhoti and full-sleeved shirt, a shawl on his shoulders, stubble and branded spectacle in place, Siddaramaiah appears in complete control. His girth and size (5.5 feet tall) have not been a disadvantage when it comes to pulling the crowds for the Congress. His rustic language is an instant connect with the masses.
Siddaramaiah has made a conscious effort to build on his image. Within 30 minutes of taking oath, he announced a string of populist programmes like giving rice at `1 per kg, waiving off interest on farm loans, loans availed by SC/ST and minorities and enhancing funds for building houses for the poor.
Now he is using the Janata Darshan to listen to public grievances in district headquarters, thereby enhancing his image.
He has an informal team of intellectuals to guide him on various issues and come to his defence. Jnanapith awardee U R Ananth Murthy, critic K M Marulasiddappa, freedom fighter H S Doreswamy, writer Devanoor Mahadeva, among others, are his non-political advisors. Aides Mahadevappa and former Union minister C M Ibrahim play a role in the decision making.
THREAT PERCEPTION
The only potential threat to Siddaramaiah appears to be Union Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge. He was the other contender for the CM’s post and lost. Congress sources said the party struck a quid pro quo with Kharge by elevating him to Railway Ministry from Labour. The party is said to have assured Kharge that his claim would be looked into after 2014.