Kharge remark sparks Dalit CM buzz amid Siddaramaiah vs Shivakumar play

Indian Express

5 days ago

A statement made by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) chief, Mallikarjun Kharge, 83, about how he lost out on becoming the Karnataka chief minister in 1999 has stirred the political pot and set off speculation on whether the state would see its first-ever Dalit CM in the near future.
Last Sunday, addressing a BLDE Education Trust event in Vijayapura, Kharge recalled how he had not allowed a loss of opportunity to become the CM in 1999 to halt his journey but soldiered on for the Congress. 'As the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader (in 1994-1999), I made a lot of efforts to bring in Congress government… but as soon as the (Congress) government came to power (in 1999), S M Krishna became the CM. He (Krishna) had become the (state) party president only four months earlier. All my services were in vain,' he said.
'What I am trying to say is that even if we face difficulties we must continue to work without bad intentions… I have gone through these things and from being a block president, I have now become AICC president. I did not go after positions,' Kharge said.
His statement came at a time amid signs that the Congress might be heading for a crisis in Karnataka by this year-end — when the party-led government completes 30 months or half of its tenure — due to a possibility of CM Siddaramaiah being nudged by the AICC to make way for his deputy D K Shivakumar in his post.
There are also talks in Congress circles that if there is any crisis with regard to the supposed change of guard, then the party leadership may opt for a 'neutral face' like Kharge, which would also fulfil a long-pending demand for a first-ever Dalit CM in Karnataka.
While state home minister G Parameshwara, a Dalit leader, was earlier considered a possible CM candidate amid a standoff between the CM and the Deputy CM, recent ED searches in premises linked to him over alleged links to an actress accused of gold smuggling may have stymied his bid.
The AICC may have recently sent out some signals to indicate possible replacement of the CM at the mid-way mark, with AICC general secretary in charge of the state, Randeep Singh Surjewala, holding one-on-one meetings with party MLAs and ministers over several days.
Kharge's remark amid this churn that the Congress leadership would decide on a change of guard also fuelled this possibility.
On July 10, Siddaramaiah said in Delhi that he would be the CM for a full term, apparently responding to the recent undermining of his authority by party functionaries. 'A few days ago, I stated that I would be the CM for a full tenure of five years. Why did I say it? Is the CM's position lying vacant? Why is there a discussion on this?' he asked.
Kharge's Vijayapura statement has been seen as an acknowledgement of an unfulfilled ambition. 'It (the possibility of Kharge's return to state politics) cannot be ruled out completely although Kharge ji is in national politics and set for higher roles in Delhi,' a state Congress leader said.
Shivakumar, who had a few years ago welcomed a Kharge-as-CM proposal, said now that there was 'nothing wrong in Kharge expressing his feelings', adding 'He is a senior party leader and has worked hard for it… Everyone is entitled to his opinion'.
Parameshwara echoed his views. 'Kharge is a senior leader in our party and national politics. Making comments on him is not right. He is competent to hold all kinds of positions; he has experience, and he has been in politics for about 50 years. If he says something, interpreting it wrongly is not correct,' he said. 'As the AICC president he is the one who decides as to who should be the CM. If he wants to come back to state politics, no one should interpret it wrongly.'
State social welfare minister H C Mahadevappa, a Dalit leader close to Siddaramaiah, said, 'As a senior leader he (Kharge) has all the qualities to occupy any constitutional post, and our wish is that he should get an opportunity whenever there is one.'
Mahadevappa said the Congress has made Dalit leaders such as Damodaram Sanjivayya, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Jagannath Pahadia and Ram Sundar Das the CM in other states. 'When the time comes the party will take a decision and everyone will abide by it,' he added.
Kharge's son Priyank Kharge, who is IT minister in Siddaramaiah Cabinet, said his father would decide his political future on his own terms. 'With the blessings of the people of Kalaburagi and Karnataka, he is in the post that was once occupied by Subhas Chandra Bose and Gandhi ji. Whatever decisions have to be taken on his political future, will be decided by him. He has earned the respect and reputation. He has a good relationship with the high command. Whatever he decides, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi will automatically accept it,' Priyank said.
Karnataka has never had a Dalit CM, so the appointment of a Dalit face for the job could tie in with the Congress's campaign at the national level to project its credentials for the cause of Dalits, backward classes and minorities.
While there has been a demand from the Dalit groups for the appointment of a Dalit CM, all the three leading players, Congress, BJP and JD(S), have passed up many opportunities to do so by sticking to the dominant caste members for the top post.
Besides 1999, the Congress did not pick a Dalit CM in 2004, 2013 and most recently, after winning the 2023 polls.
The JD(S), currently a BJP ally, had earlier claimed that it was willing to appoint Kharge as the CM in 2004 and 2018 when it was in alliance with the Congress, but the latter preferred other leaders – N Dharam Singh, a Rajput in 2004; H D Kumaraswamy, a Vokkaliga and son of JD(S) chief H D Deve Gowda, in 2018.
Parameshwara was in the race to be CM in 2013, but was overlooked on account of Siddaramaiah enjoying the support of a majority of the Congress MLAs and the fact that the former lost his own election. Kharge was not in the CM race then as he had already been elected to the Lok Sabha in 2009.
In the 2023 polls, when the Congress bagged 135 of 224 seats, the party reportedly garnered 'overwhelming support' of Dalits, tribals and backward classes. Of 51 SC/ST seats, the Congress won 36, whose MLAs would play a significant role in any CLP decision.
In the past Kharge has often deflected questions about the first Dalit CM by insisting that he has never sought the post for his caste but on the basis of his seniority and public service.
'I have never sought the CM's post as a Dalit. If people are ashamed to accept me as a leader, let them consider me a worker. I would welcome it if the party considers me for the top post based on my seniority and not my caste,' Kharge had said in 2018 when the possibility of a Dalit CM was raised by then CM Siddaramaiah ahead of the poll results. The Congress had then lost the polls.
Ahead of the 2023 polls, Shivakumar, broaching the issue, had said: 'Kharge is an asset to the nation and the state. I will abide by any decision that the party takes. He has made many sacrifices for the party… From being a block leader he has become the AICC president. This can happen only in the Congress. I will work with happiness if he is made the CM.'
Shivakumar's statement was then seen as an attempt to checkmate Siddaramaiah.
On his part, Siddaramaiah, who belongs to the OBC Kuruba group, has often identified himself as a Dalit to woo the community. He is often considered the 'second best alternative' to a Dalit CM by sections of the community.