NEW DELHI: Is the Congress staring at a crisis in yet another party-ruled state? Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar‘s holy dip at the Maha Kumbh and his visit to Sadhguru‘s ashram for Mahashivratri celebrations, where home minister Amit Shah was also present, have raised the hackles of some Congress leaders triggering a row that may leave the grand-old-party worried.
Shivakumar has reacted strongly to criticism over his “spiritual” pursuits from a section of the party – with one senior leader invoking Rahul Gandhi’s name to attack the Karnataka Congress leader.
In a hard-hitting post on X, All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary PV Mohan targeted Shivakumar’s Coimbatore visit and wrote: “Thanking for an invitation from someone who mocks RG (Rahul Gandhi), the hope of the nation & aligns with RSS’s narratives, while serving as a president of a secular party, it misleads party workers. It is conviction rather than compromise (that) ensures the party’s growth. Otherwise, it damages the core.”
When asked about objections to his visit from within the party, a combative Shivakumar said: “I am a Hindu. I am a born Hindu and I will die as a Hindu but I love and respect all religions. Our Congress president’s name is Mallikarjun Kharge. Who is Mallikarjuna? It’s Shiva only. Should he change his name?”
“Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev of Isha Foundation came and invited me (for Shivaratri celebrations in Coimbatore). He is from Mysuru. He is a great man and I admire his knowledge and stature but there are many who criticise him,” he said.
The Karnataka deputy chief minister also had good things to say about the Maha Kumbh organised by the Yogi Adityanath government.
“My experience regarding Maha Kumbh was very good. I appreciated the way they organised it. It is not a small job. There might be some problems here and there. Trains may have caused problems. I don’t like to find faults. It is very satisfactory,” Shivakumar said.
Earlier, responding to allegations of cozying up to the BJP, Shivakumar had called it a conspiracy against him and had invoked Sonia Gandhi to silence his critics.
“The Congress party has the doctrine of taking everyone together. Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru and Indira Gandhi have done the same. I have seen Sonia Gandhi celebrating the Ugadi festival. She has adopted Indianity rather than us. We have such leadership,” he said countering criticism.
Shivakumar vs Siddaramiah in Karnataka
In 2023 Shivakumar had lost out to Siddaramaiah for the chief minister’s post in a very tight race after Congress’s emphatic victory in Karnataka assembly elections. After days of persuasion, he settled for the post of deputy CM while retaining the position of state president. At that time there were reports of a power-sharing agreement under which Shivakumar would have got the top post after two and a half years. However, there was no official confirmation of this.
While Shivakumar’s supporters have made regular claims about the rotational CM deal, the Karnataka Congress strongman has backed Siddaramaiah to the hilt, especially when the chief minister faced all-round attack over the MUDA land scam. But the fact remains that Shivakumar was a strong claimant for the top post and would want some assurance from the party leadership on it going forward.
The Congress did well in the bypolls held last year winning all the three seats where elections were held. Recently the Karnataka Congress president held a meeting with those candidates who had lost the last elections to prepare a blueprint for their victory in 2028. This was perhaps a clear indication of his desire to lead the party in the next elections.
It is in this context that Shivakumar’s spiritual pursuits could be a message to the party leadership.
Why should the Congress be worried?
The Congress has already suffered in several states due to leadership tussle and has even lost its governments.
In Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia campaigned vigorously for the Congress in the lead up to the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls in 2018. Following Congress’s win, Kamal Nath was chosen as the chief minister. But Kamal Nath couldn’t complete his five-year term and had to step down as the chief minister after Scindia and 22 Congress MLAs resigned from the assembly and moved to the BJP.
In Haryana, Bhupinder Singh Hooda took complete control of the Congress campaign and in the process several senior leaders were sidelined. Kumari Selja, a prominent Dalit face of the party, objected to this dominance and stayed away for most part of the campaign.
In Rajasthan, bittter leadership tussle between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot made headlines for long. Gehlot refused to accommodate Sachin and his supporters. Eventually, Pilot revolted against Gehlot and was on the verge of quitting the party. However, Priyanka Gandhi then intervened and persuaded him to stay back. The faction-ridden Congress eventually lost the assembly elections to the BJP.
In Assam, having led the Congress’s campaign successfully in 2011, Himanta wanted to be the chief minister. He was seen as the successor to then chief minister Tarun Gogoi. But then came Tarun Gogoi’s son, Gaurav Gogoi, on the political scene disrupted the handing over of the baton.
Himanta resigned from the Gogoi Cabinet in July 2014, citing “family-centric” politics. He joined the BJP and campaigned for the party for the 2016 assembly polls. The BJP came to power in Assam that year and Sarbananda Sonowal was made the chief minister. Five years later, in 2021 when BJP won again, Himanta was made the chief minister.
Clearly, the Congress would not want another state to slip away from its hands because of leadership tussle. While Shivakumar may have needed the support of 113 MLAs to become the chief minister in 224-member assembly, he will need the backing of far less number of MLAs to destabilise the Siddaramaiah government.