The electoral defeat of Congress in Haryana could bring temporary solace to Karnataka’s Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Party insiders say that the party’s top leaders are eager to prevent being blamed for another political failure in the South, as they face challenges after losing in a North Indian state.
Siddaramaiah’s position as chief minister has been cast into doubt following the scandal regarding the purported unlawful allocation of sites by Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA), which has escalated into a significant political crisis. Siddaramaiah is under scrutiny from the Lokayukta and the Enforcement Directorate, despite his wife Parvathi BM giving back all 14 sites allocated by MUDA.
Political analyst Sandeep Shastri told that the Congress leadership is currently in a defensive position and is unwilling to be held responsible for any significant leadership changes in Karnataka. This reluctance stems from the criticism they faced for allowing Bhupinder Singh Hooda to have autonomy in Haryana, which may have played a role in their electoral defeat.
The party’s central leadership instructed Siddaramaiah to remain assertive after he clarified in a meeting in Delhi that he was not involved in his wife receiving those sites, as it was in line with MUDA policy at the time. Nonetheless, following the denial of Siddaramaiah’s request by the Karnataka High Court to cancel the investigation approval given by Governor Thawarchand Gehlot, Siddaramaiah found himself in a difficult situation.
However, one of the three accusers, Snehamayi Krishna, decided to go to the ED and file a complaint, leading to a panic within the party since they did not want their highly influential chief minister in southern India to undergo questioning or arrest like other chief ministers in Delhi or Jharkhand.
The ED is capable of going to extreme measures as it has requested information from the person filing the complaint. Siddaramaiah has already publicly claimed that the Opposition is targeting him solely because of his background as a member of a Backward Class community. Therefore, it was essential to validate a point through political means. A senior leader highlighted that OBC legislators and MPs met with him to encourage him to take decisive action by accepting the caste census report.
Around 30 lawmakers and MPs, along with four former chairmen of the Backward Classes Commission, gathered to meet Siddaramaiah on Monday and requested him to take action towards implementing the caste census report. Siddaramaiah quickly informed them that he would bring it up in front of the Cabinet on October 18. The cabinet meeting will determine if the report should be made public, establish a subcommittee, or present it to the Legislature in Belagavi in November.
The widely known caste census report is a survey of the state’s 7 crore individuals focusing on socio-economic and educational aspects. Siddaramaiah had clarified that the survey does not solely focus on the OBCs. This comment was made to calm the fears of the higher castes, the Lingayats and Vokkaligas, who have been raising concerns about the report. The two major communities in power are concerned that their reservation allocation could be harmed by implementing the caste census report.
The BJP and JD-S have claimed that the chief minister is trying to shift the focus away from the reported MUDA scam by introducing the caste census report. Amidst the emergence of various problems, the gatherings of ministers from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes – Dr G Parameshwara, Dr HC Mahadevappa and Satish Jarkiholi – have triggered speculation within the party about their ambitions to potentially succeed Siddaramaiah.
However, the top contender being seen as Siddaramaiah’s replacement, deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, has declared that the chief minister will not be replaced. DK Suresh, the former MP and brother of DK Shivakumar, informed reporters on Monday that he will continue as chief minister for a period of five years. Suresh made his statement following his unexpected encounter with Satish Jarkiholi. Jarkiholi hurried to Delhi to meet with Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge and had recently come back.
Jarkiholi, Parameshwara, and Mahadevappa have all denied rumors of planning to prevent Shivakumar from becoming chief minister. However, a senior party member revealed on the condition of confidentiality that the goal is “definitely to position oneself to take over from Siddaramaiah”.
Once the caste census report is prepared for execution, Siddaramaiah might be requested by the party high command to stand down. The outcome will be based solely on the actions taken by the ED,” the leader remarked. Political analyst Shastri suggests that Siddaramaiah must obtain approval from all of his cabinet colleagues before presenting the caste census report, which will be a challenging task.
The caste census is both a boon and a bane for Siddaramaiah. His colleagues are questioning whether he is releasing it now for his own political gain. If the methodology used to gather the information correctly seven years ago, why is he now being accused by his colleagues of releasing it for self-serving political reasons? Why was the information not released seven years ago if the methodology was correctly implemented then; why is it being released now, if not for his own political benefit. Shastri said he will have to answer these questions.