'This plan was never official. It was there secretly. It was by the high command.'
When Karnataka's Congress government crossed the two-and-a-half-year mark on November 20, the long-standing tension between the state's Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar over the latter's insistence on getting the coveted post has once again reached the party high command in Delhi.
A group of Congress MLAs, primarily loyal to Shivakumar, travelled to Delhi to meet the party leadership and insist on the urgency to have DKS -- as he is popularly known -- as the next chief minister replacing Siddaramaiah.
While these DKS loyalists are playing it safe by not openly demanding as much, their purpose is straightforward: To clarify whether a power-sharing arrangement made in 2023 -- between DKS and Siddaramaiah and which apparently had the high command's blessings -- would be honoured.
According to three Congress MLAs loyal to DKS that Prasanna D Zore/Rediff spoke to on Monday, when the Congress won the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections, a rotational chief minister arrangement was agreed upon -- though there remains some confusion -- between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.
The formula specified that after two-and-a-half years, the mantle of leadership would pass to Shivakumar. With that deadline now reached and Siddaramaiah still in office, these MLAs were in Delhi seeking clarity from the national leadership.
Three of these legislators explained their position and what brought them to Delhi.
The Promise That Was Made
H A Iqbal Hussain, the Congress MLA from Ramanagaram, was direct about why he is in Delhi. "We wanted Shivakumar to be chief minister within this time," he said. He acknowledged concerns that pushing for a leadership change could damage the party and might help the Bharatiya Janata Party sharpen its attack on the incumbent Congress government.
But he said this was not a concern. "We are all together. We are in the Congress. All the MLAs are in the Congress. Only thing is we wanted Shivakumar to be chief minister within his time (youth)."
When asked about the nature of the power-sharing agreement, Hussain said it had been kept confidential. "This plan was never official. It was there secretly. It was by the high command. And nobody knows about that."
He then stated clearly that such a promise had been made. "Definitely" the high command had promised Shivakumar the chief minister position after two-and-a-half years, he said.
Hussain named the senior party leadership should be responsible for this arrangement. "They have to take decisions. They are only the high command. They are only our boss," he said referring to Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, the senior decision-makers in the Congress party who matter.
On whether Siddaramaiah would voluntarily step down, Hussain said the chief minister, as a Congress member, should abide by party decisions. "He is also in the Congress. He has to share everything. Being head of the Congress family, he should share."
The Confusion Over Power Sharing
H C Balakrishna, the Congress MLA from Magadi, described the situation differently -- not as a demand but as a need for clarity. "There is some confusion in Karnataka politics. But we want to get the clarity from the high command," he said.
The confusion, he explained, centred on the power-sharing arrangement itself. "Because there are reports that the Congress high command had promised D K Shivkumar that he will be the chief minister after two-and-a-half years. That's what we want to know," says Balakrishna, who is also in Delhi to pitch for DKS, over the phone.
He indicated the MLAs would meet with (Randeep) Surjewala, the party's in-charge for Karnataka, and are waiting to meet other senior leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge, the national party president.
When asked if the party's infighting could benefit the BJP, Balakrishna said the high command needed to step in and resolve the issue. "That's what we want. High command should interfere and solve the problem."
Balakrishna stated that whatever the high command decided would be acceptable to both the parties. "Whatever it may be. It should come through the high command," he said, indicating the MLAs would not openly rebel against a high command decision, even if it meant Siddaramaiah remaining as chief minister.
The Broader Calculation
K M Uday, the Congress MLA from Maddur, was less certain about Shivakumar's prospects when asked directly whether the deputy chief minister would become the next chief minister. "Maybe," he said.
Uday indicated that the high command was still deliberating. "They'll decide in a few days," he said when asked about the timeline for a decision.
He offered a different framing for why the MLAs had come to Delhi. "We came to emphasise that newly elected winners should also be accommodated in the Karnataka government when the reshuffle happens. We came to ask for some provision for us also."
This suggested the delegation included requests for cabinet positions and resources, in addition to the question of the chief minister's post. According to Uday, ten MLAs had come from his group.
When pressed on whether there had been a formal agreement over the rotation of chief ministerial berth between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, Uday said he did not know. "We don't know." He acknowledged the optics problem. "Isn't this bad optics? Won't the BJP take advantage of this infighting?"
Uday insisted there was no fundamental split in the Congress. "Congress is united only. No difference. We are one family," he said. When asked why some MLAs wanted Siddaramaiah to go if there was unity, Uday said the issue was not leadership but resources.
"They are going (the MLAs going to meet the high command) because it's the ministerial issue; they're asking for provision, that's why."
On whether he believed Shivakumar would become chief minister, Uday said he was confident that the high command would give a desirable decision. When asked why, he pointed to the deputy chief minister's track record. "He (D K Shivakumar) is young; he has capacity; he has done a lot of work. It will benefit Karnataka."
When asked whether Siddaramaiah was performing well as chief minister, Uday acknowledged he was. "Yes, sure." But when asked if the power-sharing agreement was the reason for seeking a change despite Siddaramaiah's performance, Uday declined to confirm direct knowledge of such an agreement. "That only the high command and the two leaders know. We don't know about that," he said.
What Both Leaders Are Saying
Meanwhile, both Siddaramaiah and DKS have declared that they will defer to the party high command. Siddaramaiah stated he would continue as chief minister if the high command decided so. He has also signalled his intention to present the next state budget, suggesting he expects to remain in office.
Shivakumar responded by saying Siddaramaiah's statement was Veda Vakya (sacred scripture) -- for him, and that he would accept whatever the party leadership decided. He criticised the BJP for accusations of 'horse-trading', noting that such practices had been documented in the BJP's own ranks in the past.
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff
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