A day after Congress president Mallikarjun urged local leaders to take ownership of internal disputes, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said that Rahul Gandhi and the high command should decide on any changes. At the same time, he also agreed with Kharge’s assertion that no one is bigger than the party and that local leaders should resolve disputes.
“I fully agree with AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge’s statement that no one is bigger than the party. No one can be bigger than the party. Rahul Gandhi should decide on the leadership change. We are committed to whatever he decides. I have spoken to the party leaders about this and they have said that we will decide on this. We are all committed to their decision,” he said in response to a question on Kharge’s statement.
Notably, the third angle in the leadership row between Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar, Home Minister G Parameshwara, had waded in asking the high command to step in and settle the issue. Repeated and conflicting public statements are harming the government’s focus at a crucial time, said the senior Congress leader, who is believed to be supported by factions such as Tumakuru seers, Dalit groups and supporters of Siddaramaiah, as a potential alternative.
Meanwhile, the CM also downplayed meetings between close confidante and senior leader K N Rajanna and Shivakumar which added to the buzz around “political revolution” after ‘Sankranti’.
“Let him meet. Shivakumar is the president of the party state unit. What is wrong with that?”
“I’m saying it once for all, ultimately, the high command has to make a decision. Everyone will abide by whatever the high command decides,” Siddaramaiah said; adding that the “media is the one who is mostly discussing the leadership change”.
On Shivakumar’s claim that he had made Rajanna the Apex Bank chairman during the S M Krishna-led Congress government he said, “claiming credit for appointing some to some post while in power is not important. S.M. Krishna was the CM, the then government had appointed.”
Speaking in Kalaburagi on Sunday, Kharge said any confusion over the leadership issue exists only at the local level, not within the party high command. Local leaders should take ownership of internal disputes instead of blaming the high command, he also said, cautioning individuals claiming sole credit for the party’s electoral success. The Congress was built by party workers, he also said. “The high command hasn’t created any confusion. The confusion exists at the local level. Is it right to put the blame on the high command” he questioned.
Notably after Punjab, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka is yet another Congress-ruled state witnessing mayhem amid local rivalries. Meanwhile, political circles are abuzz with solutions emerging from the upcoming Congress Working Committee meeting.