Bengaluru/Chikkamagaluru (PTI): Amid stiff competition between him and senior leader Siddaramiah for the chief ministerial post in the event of Congress winning the Assembly polls, Karnataka Congress unit president D K Shivakumar's attempts to bring AICC chief M Mallikarjun Kharge's name into the race, has raised eyebrows within party circles.
The KPCC chief's move to endorse Kharge, is being seen by some as an attempt by him to checkmate Siddaramaiah's prospects, by reigniting the debate on 'Dalit CM' and 'native versus migrant' within the party.
Shivakumar's statements that he would "love" to work under Kharge if he becomes the Chief Minister and that there are voices within the party that "injustice" has happened to the veteran leader in the past, has got tongues wagging among many in the state Congress. However, he has maintained that the party's decision is final.
"He (Kharge) is our senior leader and AICC President. He has not asked for it (CM post), Congress should come to power is his only desire. He is a senior leader and there are some voices that say that injustice has happened to him in the past," Shivakumar said in response to a question regarding bringing Kharge's name to the fore.
Speaking to reporters in Sringeri on Monday, he said, "we should abide by what the party says. Kharge is at the helm of the party. I will leave it to the party, Siddaramaiah and others too will abide by the party. The party is important."
Both Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah are nursing chief ministerial ambitions in the event of the Congress coming to power and have often indulged in a game of political one upmanship.
It all began with Shivakumar's reply to a question about him backing off from the race if Kharge wants to become the CM, saying that, "He (Kharge) is my leader, he is my AICC president, I would love to work under him. He is an asset to the state and the country...I will abide by the party's decision, he is 20 years senior to me.....I'm committed to his wish."
Later, while defending his statement, he said, "He (Kharge) is a senior, he is our AICC president, if we don't support him and his leadership, are we human? Party coming to power is important, not us."
When questioned on Shivakumar's statements, Siddaramaiah on Sunday maintained, everyone will abide by the decision of the high command.
According to party sources, Kharge lost out in the race to become Chief Ministers thrice -- in 1999 to S M Krishna, 2004 to N Dharam Singh and in 2013 to Siddaramaiah.
Some party functionaries believe the possibilities of Kharge returning to state politics are very limited, given the positions and responsibilities he holds.
"He as AICC President has a bigger role to play in and ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, like leading the party and preparing it for elections and forging opposition unity, among others," a party functionary said.
However, Shivakumar's statements regarding Kharge, a 80-year old leader from Dalit community, has once again triggered a debate in the Congress over "Dalit CM", with other senior leaders from the community like G Parameshwara and K H Muniyappa in the poll fray.
Karnataka has never had a Dalit CM, and there has been pressure from a section within the Congress to consider this, as there are several capable leaders in the party from the community.
Throwing his hat into the ring, Parameshwara had recently said he is among the chief ministerial aspirants in the event of the party coming to power.
Parameshwara was Deputy Chief Minister during Congress-JD(S) coalition government led by H D Kumaraswamy, and was the longest-serving KPCC chief (eight years); while Muniyappa is veteran party leader and seven-time MP from Kolar.
Also, with Siddaramaiah having already been in the CM post once between 2013-18, there are voices within the Congress that someone "native" or "original" Congressman should be made the chief minister this time. Siddaramaiah had joined Congress in 2006 after being expelled from JD(S).
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Nagpur, Jan 10: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar praised the RSS after realising how the outfit managed to overcome the fake narrative spread by the opposition in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The opposition had claimed BJP wanted to win 400 seats to change the Constitution and end reservations, a narrative which BJP leaders later claimed hit the party hard.
On Pawar praising the RSS recently, the CM said the MVA was successful in creating a fake narrative during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
"When assembly polls were approaching, many people from diverse fields who are inspired by the RSS played their role and burst the balloon of this fake narrative. Sharad Pawar saheb is very intelligent. He would have certainly studied this aspect. He realised that this (RSS) is not a regular political power but a nationalist power. In any competition it is good to praise others," he added.
That is why Pawar may have praised the RSS, Fadnavis said.
Speaking at an interaction with senior editor Vivek Ghalsasi at Late Vilasji Fadnis Jivhala programme here, Fadnavis also said he had asked for organisational work when Eknath Shinde was made chief minister in June 2022, but senior leaders asked him to join the government.
He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him not to behave like an extra-constitutional authority in the government.
He said the decision to become deputy chief minister on the command of the party leadership earned him a lot of praise from the cadre.
After the massive mandate the ruling alliance received in the 2024 assembly polls, Fadnavis said people and party workers would not have been happy if the CM was not from the BJP.
Shinde himself agreed within minutes that the CM must be from the BJP, which itself got 132 seats and was close to a majority of its own in the 288-member assembly, he added.
On Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray meeting him during the winter sessions of the legislature in Nagpur, Fadnavis said he had announced he would not indulge in politics of revenge after becoming CM and all leaders responded positively to it.
On chances of the NCP (SP) and NCP coming closer or reuniting, Fadnavis said, "If you see the developments that took place from 2019 to 2024, I realised never say never and anything can happen. Uddhav Thackeray goes to some other party and Ajit Pawar comes to us. In politics anything can happen though I am not saying this should happen."
He praised BJP leader Arun Gujarati from whom he learnt patience, which he claimed was an important quality in politics along with the ability to take criticism.
In a lighter vein, he said, "I only get angry when I am hungry. If you see me angry then give me something to eat and my anger will go away."