In Sulking Siddaramaiah, A New Test For Congress In Karnataka

Bengaluru:

Until last month, he was one of those rare things in the India of today - a Congress chief minister. And he was one who enjoyed the trust of his party's high command. It was often noted that Congress chief Rahul Gandhi seemed to have given Siddaramaiah a free hand in the campaigning in the run up to the state elections. His voice was heard at election rallies and his very vivid smile was often seen at public events.

That smile is not so frequent now.

Siddaramaiah lost in Chamundeshwari in his home district of Mysuru. He is a legislator by virtue of his win in his safety seat of Badami in north Karnataka. The state he ruled for five years now has a new chief minister in HD Kumaraswamy, from a party, the Janata Dal Secular, from which he had a very bitter parting in 2006. Former prime minister HD Deve Gowda of the JDS, is not believed to have be too fond of the man who left his party to join the Congress.

This week, videos mysteriously surfaced from a place where Siddaramaiah was taking a rest cure which show him asking why Mr Kumaraswamy should present a fresh budget when the Congress, a coalition partner, had presented a budget as recently as February.

Another video shows him appearing to question the longevity of the coalition itself. 

Mr G Parameshwara, the state Congress president is deputy chief minister now and holds the home portfolio. The relationship between the two Congress leaders was never said to be very warm.

After a meeting of Congress ministers in Bengaluru, Mr Parameshwara told media persons the meeting was only about looking ahead to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"No other political discussions took place regarding any statements by anybody including our leader Shri Siddaramaiahji. All that is left to the high command," he said.

Congress leaders loyal to Siddaramaiah have been meeting him, more particularly after the two videos emerged. On Wednesday, the former chief minister met 10 legislators including two ministers, a meeting that was seen as a show of strength.

Mr Parameshwara sought to downplay the meeting.

"It is not a show of strength. I also met him. As president, it was my duty to make a courtesy call when he was taking rest. I discussed certain things with him... What I discussed, I will not reveal because that is the secret."

Mr Parameshwara also denied reports of friction between the two.

The Congress leader had reportedly responded to the video that had Siddaramaiah suggesting the Kumaraswamy government could last only till the 2019 elections, saying outsiders spoke in a different way. It is a comment that the Siddaramaiah camp had taken offence to.

Mr Parameshwara offered a clarification. "I have never called him an outsider. Somebody like you would have mentioned. How can he be an outsider? He was our CM, he is our CLP (Congress Legislature Party) leader and we consider him a very tall leader in our party." 

Siddaramaiah is indeed the leader of the party's legislature party and the chairperson of the coordination committee set up to keep things smooth between the coalition partners.

But there is a perception that this may not be enough to satisfy the political ambitions of a man who was centrestage and is now on the wings.

Siddaramaiah may not be able to split the Congress in the state - he may not even want to. But a discontent senior leader is not good news for the Congress which sees itself as part of a larger non-BJP coalition in the days to come.

The Congress and the JDS have already announced that the last-minute alliance in Karnataka would continue through the 2019 elections. It cannot afford to see dissent in its own party at such a time.

Some Congress leaders suggest the party needs to find a role for the former chief minister that will respect his experience of the political savvy leader but that will not antagonise the rest of the party or its coalition partner.