Five months in power, Karnataka Congress sees bitter factionism

The trouble is said to have escalated when Mandya MLA Ravikumar Gowda claimed that Shiva Kumar would become Karnataka Chief Minister after two-and-a-half years

Hyderabad: Just over five months into power, severe factionism is threatening to destabilise the Congress government in Karnataka, with factions of Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shiva Kumar slugging it out against each other over a cabinet reshuffle and appointments to different board and corporation posts.

Though the rift was simmering over the days, things boiled over on Wednesday with the situation turning so grave that the Congress high command had to intervene and despatch AICC general secretary KC Venugopal to try to rein in the warring factions.

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The trouble is said to have escalated when Mandya MLA Ravikumar Gowda claimed that Shiva Kumar would become the Chief Minister after two-and-a-half years. This was opposed by the Siddaramaiah faction, who declared that he would complete the full term as Chief Minister. Those who were on the fence between the factions said it was was for the high command to decide.

The battle has much more to it than the mere handing over of the Chief Minister’s seat. There are caste equations in play, with BC leaders up against Vokkaliga leaders led by Shiva Kumar. While, a few section of leaders accused Siddaramaiah of neglecting the Lingayat community, others accused him of being biased towards the BC community.

Throwing weight behind the Chief Minister were Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi, Social Welfare Minister HC Mahadeveppa and Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna. Things turned uglier when Jarkiholi engaged in a fight with Women and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar for dominance in the Belgavi unit’s affairs. Hebbalkar is a close associate of Shiva Kumar.

A couple of weeks ago, Jarkiholi had planned to take a team of 20 MLAs to Mysuru to celebrate Dasara. The plan did not materialize after the party high command intervened from Delhi. However, Shiva Kumar participated in the Dasara festivities albeit without being received by Jarkiholi and his camp.

To bring things under control, senior Minister G Parameshwara, who also reportedly has an eye on the Chief Minister’s seat, invited leaders from both factions for dinner at his residence. But despite the sumptuous dinner, the war continued.

With the discord escalating, Congress General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, on Wednesday warned of action against those violating party discipline.

After a two-hour meeting involving KC Venugopal, Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah at Bengaluru, Surjewala said there were discussions on party affairs and preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

“We have warned very clearly that no Minister, no MLA, no party leader should be violating the party discipline,” Surjewala said, adding that legislators and Ministers were warned against discussions or statements on the Chief Minister’s post.