not too long ago introduced Imminent resignation from Congress by senior chief CM Ibrahim The Karnataka Congress has as soon as once more created a storm because of conflict of views and personalities involving two of its high leaders – state celebration president DK Shivakumar and Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The menace of Ibrahim’s resignation comes at a time when the tussle between Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah calmed down after the Congress’s good efficiency within the meeting bypolls and council polls final 12 months and the mixed present of energy displayed in the course of the celebration’s protest march. Mekedatu consuming water venture earlier this month.
While his menace is said to Ibrahim’s failed private ambition and the shortage of Muslim leaders within the Karnataka Congress, it additionally underscores that the celebration’s management is doing a balancing act to satisfy the calls for of each Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah. .
One of the strategies Ibrahim instructed was that Siddaramaiah had upset him—regardless of his loyalties—that the latter didn’t bat for him when it got here to electing the chief of the celebration within the Legislative Council, the submit. Along with former MP BK Hariprasad, who is taken into account near Shivakumar.
In a collection of sarcastic feedback, Ibrahim stated that Siddaramaiah had grow to be an “orphan” within the Congress and therefore there was nobody to talk for him. “Siddaramaiah has given me a gift. He has brought it through the Congress party. I have happily accepted it,” he stated. “Shivkumar and Hariprasad are a good team, they have similar mindset that’s why AICC (All India Congress Committee) has made the appointment.”
Ibrahim was a minister within the United Front authorities led by HD Deve Gowda. He joined the Congress in 2008 from the Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular). Siddaramaiah had earlier additionally been with the JD(S).
The AICC moved to appoint Hariprasad because the opposition chief of the council, a day after former minister MB Patil, a Siddaramaiah loyalist, was appointed chairman of the celebration’s marketing campaign committee for the 2023 state meeting elections.
It is an open secret within the Karnataka Congress that Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah will not be face-to-face and are rivals within the race for the chief minister’s submit if the celebration involves energy subsequent 12 months. The two leaders could not be extra totally different from one another, calling Shivakumar a “capitalist” and Siddaramaiah a “socialist”.
While each the leaders are identified to take care of celebration colleagues, Siddaramaiah has discovered comparatively better acceptability and loyalty amongst Congress legislators. However, in latest instances, Shivakumar has amassed extra political capital by main the Mekedatu protest march.
The Congress management’s name to iron out variations and convey the celebration again to energy has resulted within the two leaders forming a united entrance in latest instances. Its good efficiency within the latest city native physique elections and different earlier elections has additionally helped the celebration paper on inner variations.
Sharp variations between Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah surfaced final October when a dialog between two Siddaramaiah celebration employees was picked up by microphone earlier than a press convention. This non-public dialog between a Congress media coordinator and a spokesperson centered on Shivakumar’s “shortcomings” as celebration president and indicated his better confidence in Siddaramaiah’s management.
While Shivakumar has tried to infuse new power into the Karnataka Congress since changing into the celebration chief in July 2020 amid the primary wave of COVID-19 and the lockdown, a lot of the celebration’s 68 MLAs are identified to have extra alliances with Siddaramaiah. .
Shivakumar was appointed state celebration chief a number of months after he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on cash laundering fees following an Income Tax (IT) probe into his alleged tax evasion throughout 2017-18. He is among the richest MLAs of Karnataka, whose belongings are near Rs 850 crore declared earlier than the 2018 meeting elections.
Since taking up as celebration president, Shivakumar has tried to tug the celebration out of Siddaramaiah’s grip by changing a number of outdated office-bearers along with his personal loyalists. On his half, Siddaramaiah has tried to keep up his management over the celebration unit by guaranteeing that Shivakumar doesn’t have a one-sided run and is assisted by 4 working presidents.
Many Congress MLAs consider that Siddaramaiah is a extra versatile chief who doesn’t have the burden of pending circumstances of corruption or different financial offences.
However, a bit of Congress additionally feels that each the leaders have many shortcomings and will be unable to capitalize on the anti-incumbency wave towards the present BJP authorities and lead the celebration successfully within the 2023 elections.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
