BANGALORE: After a rout in the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress unit in Karnataka is in disarray with factional feuds and MLAs indulging in hooliganism. There are many gunning for CM Siddaramaiah, but he manages to stay afloat, owing to a weak and hapless high command that has been turned into a mere observer from the fence.
The fight between the two camps—one supporting Siddaramaiah and the other supporting KPCC president G Parameshwara—is nothing new. Parameshwara doesn’t want to settle for anything less than a deputy chief minister’s post while the CM fears that creating such a post will make another power centre in the government.
Both camps had a shadow fight involving third and fourth rung leaders at the recently held two day introspection meet of the party representatives attended by Digvijaya Singh, AICC general secretary and party in charge.
One of the senior party workers Magadi Kamalamma asked the CM to mend his ways or face consequences. “If you cannot share power and mend ways, then the government will collapse in six months,” she said, instigating CM’s supporters, who dared the leaders to stop her from speaking, but Digvijaya let her continue.
Then it was the turn of the veteran M V Rajasekharan, a former Union Minister to speak. The CM’s camp didn’t allow him to speak fearing that the senior leader's speech could further unsettle and embarrass Siddaramaiah. Rajashekharan, who had been batting for Parameshwara reiterated that the Dalit leader should be made the deputy CM.
In normal circumstances, the Congress high command would have intervened and sorted this issue. Earlier, the party brass waited for the LS polls to get over as they thought disturbing Siddaramaiah will have an impact on the polls. After a rout in the polls, the high command is in no position to act against the CM. “How can they (high command) act now? They have so many issues to sort at Delhi. On the other hand, the CM has managed to send eight members to the LS which is highest by any Congress ruling state in the country,” said one of the Siddaramaiah loyalists.
With Siddaramaiah being the sole crowd puller in the Congress, the party is no mood to act in a hurry. Sources say that the high command may take time to ensure that the CM falls in line. But by that time, the image of the government and the party might have damaged beyond repair, said a senior leader who is not aligned with either of the groups
Meanwhile, the CM is not leaving any chance to declare truce with Parameshwara. Sources in the Congress said Siddaramaiah had sent K R Pete Krishna, former Assembly speaker and an old Janata Parivar man, to negotiate with Parameshwara and broker a peace. Instrumental in getting Krishna into the Congress prior to the Lok Sabha elections, Siddaramaiah shares a good rapport with the former JD(S) leader, who has a reputation for honesty and simplicity. The chief minister purportedly requested Krishna to convey his offer of two portfolios to Parameshwara.
Krishna then visited Parameshwara’s house with the message. Tipped to be inducted into the Cabinet after the ongoing session, Parameshwara is said to have told Krishna that he didn’t nurse any grudge against Siddaramaiah either.