With Siddaramaiah’s camp dropping a bombshell that the former Chief Minister will not contest the assembly elections if he is not declared Congress’s chief ministerial, Rahul Gandhi advised the Kuruba leader to observe patience. Elections to the Karnataka state assembly are due in early 2023.
Even as the grand old party is battling hard to keep its flock together in the state, with the ED sword now dangling on the heads of the Gandhi family, the recent protests in New Delhi against Union government’s Agnipath scheme and alleged misuse of Central agencies, became a forum to give a strong message to those indulging in blackmail politics in the state.
In a veiled threat, Siddaramaiah had conveyed it to the party high command that he would not contest if he was not made a chief ministerial face of the Congress party ahead of the all important assembly elections in Karnataka in 2023.
Delivering his subtle message, Rahul said, “Congress party teaches patience. I have been working since 2004, Sachin Pilot is sitting here, Randeep is here, Siddaramaiah ji is here.” Rahul named these Congress leaders who are waiting to get top posts. “Congress Party teaches patience and expects their leaders to exercise it, but in BJP you need to bow,” Rahul added. He also gave his example how he sat with patience during the 50-hour ED grilling.
Highly placed sources in the party, who are in the know of these developments, told The Daily Guardian Review that Siddaramaiah has resorted to blackmail politics ever since Vokkaliga strongman DK Shivakumar has been made the state Congress chief. “We lost the third seat in the recently held Rajya Sabha elections from Karnataka to the BJP. We had supported former PM HD Deve Gowda to get nominated to Rajya
Sabha and they would have accommodated us had we dealt with them properly,” sources said. Adding further sources said, “Siddaramaiah pressured the party to field former RS Dy Speaker Rehman Khan’s son Mansoor with the pretext of exposing JDS and calling them BJP’s B team. This led to an ego clash with HD Kumaraswamy and the BJP made the best of the situation and got their third candidate elected.”
Siddaramaiah is notorious for his arm-twisting and blackmail tactics and the party is very well aware of this. “The entire Congress leadership was in Delhi for Wednesday›s protest and a subtle message was conveyed to top brass that Siddaramaiah will not contest if he is not projected as prospective Chief Minister. “Rahul›s message to the leaders on the stage was in this context,” sources said.
The Chief Minister, who has positioned himself as an OBC leader of Karnataka, has over the years held his political bosses to ransom by threatening to hold Ahinda (acronym to backward classes, SCs, STs and minorities) rallies outside the party gambit. He fell out with JDS in 2005 for these reasons. According to sources, “The Congress Party gave him a lease of life, politically speaking, by making him the leader of Opposition and then Chief Minister. He was also made chairman of the coordination committee during the JDS–Congress coalition led by HD Kumaraswamy. But he encouraged dissent in the party that led to the collapse of government. For a year our leaders in Delhi had not given him time and now he is resorting to his old tricks which the party will not take kindly.”
It is an open secret that both DK Shivkumar and Siddaramaiah do not get along with each other. There are many incidents of war of words between MLAs from both the camps, prompting the high command to play peacemaker on more than one occasion. However, pressuring the party to declare him as a chief ministerial face is another thing altogether. “The complete routing of the party in Punjab in the recently concluded elections is something to learn from,” said the sources. The culture of collectively fighting elections will be restored in Karnataka. The CLP leader will be elected by MLAs in consent with the high command post elections. Any misadventure by Siddaramaiah will be dealt with suitably and this message has been conveyed to him in the public forum.
Sabha and they would have accommodated us had we dealt with them properly,” sources said. Adding further sources said, “Siddaramaiah pressured the party to field former RS Dy Speaker Rehman Khan’s son Mansoor with the pretext of exposing JDS and calling them BJP’s B team. This led to an ego clash with HD Kumaraswamy and the BJP made the best of the situation and got their third candidate elected.”
Siddaramaiah is notorious for his arm-twisting and blackmail tactics and the party is very well aware of this. “The entire Congress leadership was in Delhi for Wednesday›s protest and a subtle message was conveyed to top brass that Siddaramaiah will not contest if he is not projected as prospective Chief Minister. “Rahul›s message to the leaders on the stage was in this context,” sources said.
The Chief Minister, who has positioned himself as an OBC leader of Karnataka, has over the years held his political bosses to ransom by threatening to hold Ahinda (acronym to backward classes, SCs, STs and minorities) rallies outside the party gambit. He fell out with JDS in 2005 for these reasons. According to sources, “The Congress Party gave him a lease of life, politically speaking, by making him the leader of Opposition and then Chief Minister. He was also made chairman of the coordination committee during the JDS–Congress coalition led by HD Kumaraswamy. But he encouraged dissent in the party that led to the collapse of government. For a year our leaders in Delhi had not given him time and now he is resorting to his old tricks which the party will not take kindly.”
It is an open secret that both DK Shivkumar and Siddaramaiah do not get along with each other. There are many incidents of war of words between MLAs from both the camps, prompting the high command to play peacemaker on more than one occasion. However, pressuring the party to declare him as a chief ministerial face is another thing altogether. “The complete routing of the party in Punjab in the recently concluded elections is something to learn from,” said the sources. The culture of collectively fighting elections will be restored in Karnataka. The CLP leader will be elected by MLAs in consent with the high command post elections. Any misadventure by Siddaramaiah will be dealt with suitably and this message has been conveyed to him in the public forum.
