How Congress And Its Dinner Politics In Karnataka Proceed To Set Hearsay Mills Operating – News18
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These within the Siddaramaiah camp say that these dinner conferences, together with the one referred to as on January 3 by Satish Jarkiholi, had been ones to strategise and work in direction of strengthening the occasion.
Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar with CM Siddaramaiah. (Picture: PTI)
In Karnataka, for the Congress, ‘dinner politics’ appears to be the way in which out of contentious selections — be it about management adjustments within the state unit, talks of a possible Chief Ministerial swap, muscle-flexing by dominant communities for Deputy CM illustration, or just signalling to the excessive command which faction holds sway. The whole lot is hashed out, figuratively and actually, served sizzling or chilly.
Whereas rumours have been rife a few change in guard, efforts are being made by the Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC chief DK Shivakumar camp to persuade the occasion excessive command to align with the post-poll settlement of giving each leaders Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar an equal share of time as CM. Nevertheless, Siddaramaiah is assured that he’ll proceed and full the complete time period of 5 years as CM.
“The persons are very pleased with the Congress, the grassroots are engaged on the bottom, and we’re assured not solely will the individuals of Karnataka give us one other probability, however at the moment, DK Shivakumar can lead the occasion from the entrance. Siddaramaiah ji has introduced that is his final election; that is the time that leaders can use to place in place stable in style schemes that can persuade individuals to vote for the Congress once more with an even bigger majority. Being the CM comes with duty, and deserving candidates will get it on the proper time,” mentioned a senior Congress chief beneath the situation of anonymity.
Belagavi to Bengaluru: A Collection of Strategic Dinners
These within the Siddaramaiah camp say that these dinner conferences, together with the one referred to as on January 3 by Satish Jarkiholi, had been ones to strategise and work in direction of strengthening the occasion.
“The occasion excessive command had sought a full marketing campaign throughout the nation primarily based on ‘Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhaan,’ which was to start on December 27 however was postponed after the demise of former PM Dr Manmohan Singh. That’s all that it’s,” mentioned a senior minister from the federal government.
Shivakumar was recognized to have met with senior Congress chief KC Venugopal in Delhi upon listening to concerning the dinner conferences and likewise requested him to ship a stern message to the state unit to cease such strikes instantly, as it might give scope to political rumours and additional spark friction in an already delicate political stability within the state.
Expressing unhappiness over the CM’s dinner assembly and a number of other leaders loyal to Siddaramaiah giving statements about appointing a brand new state president and creating extra deputy chief minister posts, Shivakumar has additionally identified that this assembly was the most recent amongst conferences which have been sending the flawed alerts inside the occasion and throughout the media as nicely.
“These conferences have been sending blended alerts to the occasion members. Whereas it may very well be to debate essential points, the timing of the assembly can also be essential. One dinner assembly was referred to as when DK Shivakumar was in another country. It might have been scheduled correctly too,” mentioned a senior chief from the Shivakumar camp.
The rumours about an impending management change within the authorities are an offshoot of a suspected excessive command-brokered power-sharing settlement between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, forward of forming the federal government in Might 2023.
Dinner and SC/ST vote Dynamics
One other dinner that was to be hosted at a personal lodge by Karnataka Residence Minister G Parameshwara on January 8 bought hurriedly cancelled, allegedly because of the intervention of AICC basic secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, overseeing the state. This sparked widespread hypothesis of a doable management change after March 2025 and was seen as Parameshwara making an attempt to consolidate the assist of SC/ST communities.
Parameshwara himself had thrown his hat within the ring when the difficulty of whether or not Karnataka would see a change of guard between the 2 highly effective leaders — Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar — was mentioned. Parameshwara, a Dalit chief, has maintained that he’s the strongest candidate if a Dalit CM face is to be made the CM within the state, if the Congress excessive command falls right into a predicament between the strongest Ahinda chief, two-time CM Siddaramaiah, and loyalist, troubleshooter, and Dy CM DK Shivakumar.
Shivakumar reportedly alerted the excessive command about Parameshwara’s plans, prompting the latter to defer the gathering.
Parameshwara dismissed any suggestion of secrecy, stating, “There was a dialogue on inviting Shivakumar to the assembly. There’s nothing to cover. If we have now to do politics, we’ll do it brazenly.”
The postponed dinner was supposed as a follow-up to the SC/ST conference held in Chitradurga forward of the Meeting polls, Parameshwara mentioned. He added that the problems from the Chitradurga decision wanted addressing now that the Congress is in energy and that was the principle objective of the assembly, to not be misconstrued by the media.
No Political Agenda?
Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna, a staunch Siddaramaiah loyalist, reignited the push for extra Deputy CMs, a proposal he believes will increase Congress prospects within the Lok Sabha polls. Shivakumar is alleged to have reportedly vetoed the appointment of extra Deputy CMs.
Rajanna accused the excessive command of displaying an anti-SC/ST bias by blocking Parameshwara’s assembly. He claimed the agenda revolved round SC/ST college students’ scholarships and hostel admissions, not politics. “Giving a political color to this assembly is doing injustice to those communities,” Rajanna remarked.
This was additionally on the agenda of the dinner conferences, mentioned the Shivakumar faction. Sources near the Deputy CM declare these dinners goal to maintain him in verify as he asserts his affect. The excessive command, cautious of factional clashes, has sought to make sure such conferences don’t spiral into full-blown crises.
One other Congress chief remarked that the occasion’s central management doesn’t need to intervene other than sending a number of messages to make sure unity, as they really feel it might give the opposition a deal with to focus on the occasion repeatedly. “The federal government has been requested to focus on delivering the ensures and run a wholesome authorities,” mentioned the chief.
Deputy CM Posts Dinner Diplomacy
The January 3, 2024, dinner assembly of senior Congress ministers, hosted by Minister Satish Jarkiholi, has sparked hypothesis a few part inside the occasion strategising to maintain Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar in verify and push for the appointment of extra Deputy Chief Ministers.
He additionally talked about upcoming conventions centered on Dalit and ST communities. “We didn’t communicate concerning the problem of a Dalit CM. There’s a conference for Dalits on January 28 in Chitradurga, and after that, there’s an SC/ST assembly in Davanagere in February,” Jarkiholi added.
The dinner, attended largely by leaders from the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities, comes amid recent developments in a 2019 corruption case in opposition to Shivakumar. The CBI just lately appealed in opposition to the Siddaramaiah-led authorities’s resolution to withdraw its consent for the company to analyze corruption fees in opposition to him.
On this background, on October 10 final 12 months, three Dalit ministers within the Siddaramaiah-led authorities gathered for dinner on the residence of Social Welfare Minister HC Mahadevappa in Mysuru, amid ongoing hypothesis a few doable management change in Karnataka.
Parameshwara had then downplayed the political significance of the assembly, stating that he had merely accepted an invite for dinner from Minister Mahadevappa, who can also be the district in-charge minister for Mysuru. Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi and Kollegal MLA AR Krishnamurthy had been additionally current at this dinner assembly.
The gathering of Dalit ministers gained significance in opposition to the backdrop of the long-standing demand for a Dalit Chief Minister in Karnataka. Following the assembly, the ministers acknowledged that discussions revolved round preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and organisational issues, together with the potential of appointing extra Deputy Chief Ministers.
Doling out Lok Sabha technique over Dinner
If calling dinner conferences was meant to strategise, there was additionally a dinner hosted by Shivakumar in February 2024, simply earlier than the Lok Sabha polls, which noticed a number of Congress ministers giving it a miss. Whereas Shivakumar’s supporters maintained {that a} majority of the ministers attended the programme, those that skipped had knowledgeable him prematurely because of pre-scheduled engagements.
Shivakumar had reportedly insisted that a number of ministers ought to contest the Lok Sabha polls. Whereas a lot of them skipped the dinner assembly, some others expressed that they may not swap to nationwide politics and as a substitute wished for Congress tickets to be given to their kids.
Satish Jarkiholi, whose title had been making the rounds as a possible candidate for the Belagavi seat, additionally missed the dinner. Ministers KN Rajanna, Byrati Suresh, Santhosh Lad, and Sharanabasappa Darshanapur had been among the many absentees, based on sources. However Shivakumar’s supporters maintained {that a} majority of the ministers attended the programme, and those that had skipped had knowledgeable him prematurely because of pre-scheduled engagements. Former Union Minister Digvijaya Singh and Congress RS candidate Ajay Maken additionally attended this dinner assembly.
BJP leaders in Congress dinner, one other controversy
One other dinner gathering that sparked an issue, although in a roundabout way linked to the Congress working, however sparked political hypothesis, was on December 14, 2023, when former BJP ministers ST Somashekar and Shivaram Hebbar, together with MLC AH Vishwanath, had been seen attending a dinner organised after the Congress Legislative Get together (CLP) assembly.
The ministers reportedly got here to satisfy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to debate in search of grants for growth initiatives of their constituencies. Somashekar represents the Yeshwanthpura meeting constituency in Bengaluru, whereas Hebbar represents Yellapura in Uttara Kannada district. Vishwanath is a nominated MLC.
Each Somashekar and Hebbar had beforehand been a part of the Congress earlier than becoming a member of the BJP, whereas Vishwanath, a former Congress chief, had shifted to JD(S) earlier than finally shifting to the BJP.
The trio had been a part of the 17 Congress and JD(S) legislators who resigned in 2019, resulting in the collapse of the JD(S)-Congress coalition authorities beneath HD Kumaraswamy. Vishwanath, particularly, is now rumoured to be contemplating a return to the Congress.
Their attendance on the dinner, following the CLP assembly on the outskirts of Belagavi, fuelled additional hypothesis about their political intentions. They had been later pulled up by the BJP state chief for his or her participation.
Shivakumar later clarified that 10 legislators from different events had been invited to the dinner, however they didn’t attend the CLP assembly.
