Tough choices: on the Congress in Karnataka Politics & News

The Congress is in a spot in Karnataka. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar are locked in a power tussle, as the deputy wants to replace the leader, who is in no mood to oblige. When they both assumed their current positions in 2023, it was reportedly based on a mutual agreement which also provided for a mid-term change of guard. Only the central functionaries of the Congress and these two leaders know the exact details of the power-sharing arrangement that was agreed upon in 2023. If indeed there was an agreement that Mr. Shivakumar would be handed over the baton, it is only honourable for that to be enforced by all involved, particularly the party supremo Rahul Gandhi. Mr. Shivakumar has remained loyal to the party through difficult times, facing cases and imprisonment, and accused of corruption by central agencies. While Mr. Shivakumar is valuable for the Congress for his organisational and managerial skills, which inspire confidence among party workers even beyond Karnataka, Mr. Siddaramaiah is valuable for a different reason. His standing as a champion of social justice enabled the Congress to widen and consolidate its acceptance among the subaltern communities in the State. The Chief Minister has dug his heels in, knowing that replacing him with Mr. Shivakumar, who hails from the dominant Vokkaliga community, is not an easy choice for the party. A Vokkaliga at the top can create a rupture in the Congress’s social base in Karnataka, and that works against Mr. Shivakumar. That is the deadlock.

It is high time Congress leaders at the State and national levels look beyond their narrow individual interests and calculations. In fact, the party could use the tussle in Karnataka to shuffle its deck nationally. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is also from the State. If the social dynamics of the State make it risky to make Mr. Shivakumar the Chief Minister, the Congress could consider Mr. Kharge, a Dalit who has lost out in the race for the post more than once in the past. Mr. Kharge might be acceptable to all factions and, most importantly, to the party’s social base. The Congress is in desperate need of a leadership overhaul, particularly in the Hindi belt where it is struggling to match up to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s overwhelming capacity. It needs a mix of people with various skills — experience of running the party and contesting elections, ideological clarity, and realpolitik — to steer it out of the current logjam. Any of these would be possible only if key leaders are willing to make some personal sacrifices for the good of the party, and Mr. Gandhi himself driving that conversation.