BENGALURU:
Congress high command
has, finally, stepped in to resolve an ugly factional feud in the Karnataka unit of the party, between supporters of chief minister Siddaramaiah on one side and aides of his deputy DK Shivakumar on the other, brokering a peace deal while also cracking the whip.
The feud was adversely affecting administration of the state and had dented the image of the governing party.
The high command is understood to have directed warring factions to exercise restraint and focus on this month’s monsoon session of the legislature.
Shivakumar met Congress national president Mallikar jun Kharge in Delhi on Sunday, while Siddaramaiah had called on leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday.
Although Siddaramaiah denied it, he is understood to have been asked to reshuffle his cabinet to accommodate senior legislators who were denied ministerial berths. The CM is facing mounting pres sure from neutral legislators led by seniors Vinay Kulkarni and PM Narendra Swamy to rejig his council of ministers. Some 40 MLAs are waiting in the wings to replace non-performing ministers.
“Kharge, Siddaramaiah, and I have arrived at a decision on how to work in the interests of the party,” said Shivakumar. “There is no need for any minister, MLA, or any individual to talk about it in public. If any functionary continues to talk to the media about the CM or deputy CM posts, then it would be inevitable for both AICC and KPCC to take disciplinary action.”
Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have both issued strict instructions to their supporters against making public statements on the issue. Central party brass has also decided to send veteran Madhusudan Mistry to review Karnataka Congress’ performance in the Lok Sabha elections and collect opinion of legislators about the leadership squabble. The state unit is also planning to send a factfinding team to all 28 parliamentary constituencies.
“The objective is to hear from all quarters about prevailing issues and restore discipline in order to prepare the party to face a series of polls ahead,” said KPCC working president GC Chandrashekhar.
Meanwhile, Shivakumar’s detractors have sought his replacement as Congress state president citing the party’s ‘one man, one position’ principle. Shivakumar also serves as state party president.
But the deputy CM’s brother and former MP, DK Suresh, suggested those demanding Shivakumar quit as KPCC president should either ‘put up or shut up’.
“Former CM Ramakrishna Hegde had dissolved the govt and called for early elections after the party fared poorly in Lok Sabha polls. Let those who want posts and positions lead the party in fresh elections and win before claiming privileges,” Suresh said, referring to the fact that Congress won the 2023 assembly polls under Shivakumar’s leadership as KPCC president..
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