As expected the inevitable tug-of-war between the Karnataka Chief Minister and his Deputy for the coveted CM’s kurchi has begun.

What we are witnessing today is the direct consequence of indecision and chronic incompetence within the Congress High Command.

Everyone knew this day would come. Yet the party was ill-prepared. No timeline. No strategy. No clarity. Nothing. 

Unlike the High Command, Siddu was prepared. In fact, he has been preparing from Day-1 of his second innings as Chief Minister.

For two-and-a-half years, Siddaramaiah has systematically consolidated a voter base for himself, the AHINDA base and projected himself as its undisputed leader.

AHINDA, an acronym coined by Congress leader D. Devaraj Urs in the 1970s, stands for Alpasankhyataru (Minorities), Hindulidavaru (Backward Classes) and Dalitharu (Dalits). 

In just 30 months Siddu rolled out schemes such as: Four percent reservation for Muslims in public works contracts; Startup seed support for minority youths; old-age homes for SC/STs in all districts, a proposal to increase reservation for his community, Kurubas, from  7 percent to 15 percent.

These initiatives did not strengthen the Congress’ vote base. Instead, they strengthened Siddaramaiah’s vote base. And today, he wields that base like a political mace, keeping D.K. Shivakumar perpetually hovering around the CM’s chair — close enough to hope, far enough to suffer.

Meanwhile, the Congress High Command stands paralysed, unable to take a decision that would give its most loyal and long-serving party man D.K. Shivakumar a legitimate chance at the top job.

One must admire Siddaramaiah’s political brilliance. He adopted former Congressman Urs’ AHINDA framework, captured Congress party’s traditional vote base and used Congress loyalist D.K. Shivakumar’s organisational muscle to elevate himself within the                     Karnataka Congress! 

In short, he built his fortress against Congress High Command using Congress’ own resources. Wah! Re Wah! Now that’s political craftsmanship.

The Congress High Command’s carelessness enabled this. They didn’t object even when Siddaramaiah held Siddaramothsava, a full-fledged personality cult-building festival. 

When he tried something similar in JD(S), the regional party expelled him. But the ‘national’ party, the mighty Congress, neither stopped it nor questioned it.

The Congress High Command seems to have forgotten how in 2020, 16 MLAs camped in Mumbai and toppled the Congress-JD(S) coalition Government. 13 of the 16 MLAs were Siddu loyalists. One Congress rebel MLA, Shivaram Hebbar, said it openly: “We just             followed Siddaramaiah’s advice.”

The irony? Siddaramaiah was the Coordination Committee Chairman of that very coalition. Wah! Re Wah! With one political stroke, he neutralised his internal rivals. 

Dr.  Parameshwar and Shivakumar lost their Ministerial clout while Siddaramaiah quietly became Leader of the Opposition and remained the most powerful Congressman in Karnataka.

It is an open secret that Siddu chose to put his own Congress party out of power so he could be Leader of the Opposition, rather than be a powerless legislator under a                           Congress-JD(S) coalition.  

This is not just ambition; this is a supreme political lion’s instinct. And one becomes a political lion when one’s High Command behaves like a pussycat.  

Siddaramaiah understands tactics. Rahul Gandhi remains trapped in optics. The Congress High Command is still run by a “young man” with limited political instinct, advised by old men with fading vision for both the party and the nation.

It is evident the Congress has not learnt from history as they repeatedly allow regional satraps to grow so large that the party becomes an optional accessory in their political journey.

Remember Mamata Banerjee? The Congress let her grow unchecked until she left and formed Trinamool Congress, which rules West Bengal now.

Remember Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy? They allowed him to grow and accumulate wealth. After his passing, his sonJagan Reddy walked out, formed YSR Congress Party. Then, of course, we have Sharad Pawar in Maharashtra who formed Nationalist Congress Party.

Remember back in 1978? Congress split into Congress (I), led by Indira Gandhi and Congress (U), led by Yashwantrao Chavan. So… 

Is the Congress worried Siddaramaiah may form his own outfit — Congress (A). A for AHINDA? If they are, they should not. Because…

While Siddu claims to be AHINDA’s messiah, most of his tangible benefits have gone to his own Kuruba community. Others, such as the Madiwala, Vishwakarma, Kumbara, Ganiga, Golla, Besta, Uppara and many more micro communities have seen little of his generosity.

So AHINDA will not shift en masse for Siddaramaiah. This should give the Congress High Command confidence to finally behave like one and end this nataka in Karnataka.

Now, will D.K. Shivakumar always be the bridesmaid and never the bride? Yes, as long as Congress High Command behaves like a pussycat instead of a lion, DKS’ fate is sealed to remain a Deputy.  

Let’s see if Congress High Command can transform from a small cat to a big cat. But for that the Congress High Command should be led by a serious man, not a peter pan. 

It’s time for Rahul Gandhi to speak out…whether he lets out a meow or a roar, it is going to be a defining moment for the future of Congress in Karnataka. 

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