The factional feud between Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar refuses to die down. The Chief Minister this time even went to the extent of dropping the names of Shivakumar loyalists from the posts of heads of various boards and corporations. This, despite the high command’s approval for the same.
But then this is no ordinary development but has a larger meaning to it. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah dropped seven names out of 39 proposed by the Congress high command as chairpersons of various boards and corporations.
Congress high command is supreme within the grand old party and its diktat are never ruled out. But Siddaramaiah’s act does raise many eyebrows. From this list, Siddaramaiah has dropped B S Kavalagi (Lime Development Board), Anjanappa (Seeds Development Corporation), Sharanappa Saladpur (Agricultural Produce Processing & Export Board), R S Sathyanarayana (Temperance Board), Anilkumar Jamadar (Tur Dal Development Corporation), Neelkant Mulge (KKRTC) and Syed Mehmood Chisty (Pulses Development Corporation)
But why ? what made Siddaramaiah drop these names. Were they not his loyalist or were they DK Shivakumar’s men? The reason behind the removal of names is still not clear. Or is Siddaramaiah anticipating a change of guard in the state, which is very likely and thus wants its loyalists on key posts before he hands over the mantle to another person.
There is no denial to the fact that the Karnataka Congress government is a faction-ridden one, with one group led by CM Siddaramaiah and the other by deputy CM DK Shivakumar. An unofficial arrangement within Congress also reveals the sharing of the chief ministership tenure between the two on a fifty-fifty basis. If that is true Shivakumar is likely to assume change any time next month.
The delay in the appointments to the posts of chairpersons of various boards and corporations was already causing much of anxiety among the Karnataka Congress leaders and now this tug of war between supporters of Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar.
But then the big question is whether Siddaramaiah has the authority to use his pen over the high command’s written words. Interestingly, Siddaramaiah has also given positions to two Congress leaders who were not on the high command’s list.
But then both Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar want to adjust their closed ones through these ministerial rank appointments. But sources reveal that Siddaramaiah got sidelined and over 70 percent of those in the high command list were either men of National Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, who comes from Karnataka or those of DK Shivakumar, Deputy CM of Karnataka. This seem to have antagonised Siddaramaiah, who thus dropped some of the names.
Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar have been at loggerheads since day one Congress assumed power in the state and thus stand off over finalisation of names for heads of various boards and corporations was very obvious. The bitterness between the two is expected to intensify in the days to come as Siddaramaiah’s government in the state reaches the halfway mark. The tussle over heads of various boards and corporations could be the beginning of a final showdown.
