Congress appoints Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister of Karnataka
Bengaluru:
In August last year, when there was no clarity on the Congress campaign in Karnataka, party leader Siddaramaiah celebrated his 75th birthday at the Siddhamahotsavam in Davangere in central Karnataka, an event that attracted over six lakh people, including hundreds in open grounds I was sleeping. Beware of losing your seat the next day last night.
Even Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had specifically said to attend the event, had to wait for hours to reach the venue as crowds were everywhere in the city.
This was Siddaramaiah’s first show of strength this election season, a stark reminder to the party leadership of who he was – a leader of the people who derived his strength from the people, not the party.
Till date, Siddaramaiah does not have a phone and the world including top leaders of his own party connect with him through his personal assistant.
If the Congress won the Karnataka elections on the back of income support for women, unemployed youth and guarantees of 10 kg free rice for the poor, it is Siddaramaiah who gave the party the credibility it needed to convince voters and take the party to the polls. was necessary for Historic victory of 136 seats This time Congress won all the seats in Davangere except one.
Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar were in the running. The Congress chose Siddaramaiah for the post of Chief Minister.
Siddaramaiah led a successful five-year term as chief minister of the Congress government between 2013 and 2018, a milestone in itself in a state known for chief ministers who almost never complete their term.
He was the face of the party’s Anna Bhagya scheme, which provided 7 kg of free rice every month to the poor. Siddaramaiah is the first Chief Minister to complete his term, lose an election and then return as Chief Minister.
Why did the Congress choose him?
After several days of intense deliberations, Siddaramaiah on Thursday beat Congress state unit president DK Shivakumar for the chief minister’s post. Siddaramaiah belongs to the Kuruba community, the third largest caste in Karnataka, and his powerful Ahinda (Kannada acronym for Minorities, Backward Classes and Dalits) strategy has been a mainstay of the Congress’ electoral strategy in Karnataka.
His appointment as chief minister is expected to boost the Congress as it prepares to take on the BJP on the issue of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), demanding an OBC census and raising the reservation cap to 75 per cent. Has been
Other politically powerful chief ministers of the Congress – Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan and Bhupesh Baghel in Chhattisgarh – also belong to OBC communities.
As a politician representing rural masses and with an unapologetic bias for rural and agrarian issues, Siddaramaiah is respected in other parties for his power over people. A glimpse of Siddaramaiah’s popularity was seen last year at the Siddha Mahotsav, his 75th birthday celebration, held in Davanagere. A Congress worker said, “Hundreds of people slept at the venue itself, in an open ground, at night because they did not want to miss their seats. It is heartening to see the support the leader has even today.” “
Party workers say Siddaramaiah reflects Congress’s secular credentials
It is believed that Rahul Gandhi was also clear about Siddaramaiah becoming the Chief Minister.
Siddaramaiah reflects the secular credentials of the Congress. Four months before the election, BJP leaders began referring to him as “Sidharmulla Khan”, accusing him of appeasing Muslims by organizing Tipu Jayanti celebrations, implementing the Shaadi Bhagya scheme, Popular Front of India (PFI) Withdrawal of cases against activists of PFI) and issue of support. Hijab Stand.
Siddaramaiah responded to the allegations in a way that few politicians from the north would.
“I am happy to be called Siddaramulla. It is recognition of the work I have done for Muslims. I am called by different names, Anna (Food) Ramaiah, Raita (Farmer) Ramaiah, Kannada Ramaiah, Dalit Ramaiah and others . If they are calling me Siddharmulla Khan, it is because the community loves me for my work. I have been opposing Muslim communalism with the same commitment as I oppose Hindu communalism.
How are his politics?
Seen as a mass leader with socialist leanings who does not compromise on his secular credentials, and as the face of the Congress’ spectacular comeback in Karnataka, 76-year-old Siddaramaiah has many facets to his personality.
He is a leader who does not carry a mobile phone with him, expecting everyone – even the most important people – to reach him through his personal assistance. He puts the poor at the center of his politics, a father mourning the death of a son, and most importantly, a shrewd politician who knows the power of the masses and has almost always managed to outwit his rivals.
Like Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has often slammed the RSS for boycotting its Hindutva approach, Siddaramaiah has been deeply critical of the RSS-BJP ideological stand.
Siddaramaiah has often advocated for a separate state flag and has personally ordered that signs in Hindi on the city’s subways be removed and changed to the region’s own language – Kannada.
As chief minister, Siddaramaiah credits efforts made by the Congress to promote leaders with a strong, regional identity who can take on the BJP and its ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on the ideological front as well as on caste issues. Are.
While in 2013, Siddaramaiah ousted Mallikarjun Kharge, who is now the national chief of the Congress, this time he won over Mr. Shivakumar, who has been roped in to mobilize resources for the Congress in Karnataka and strengthen the party for 2024. was seen as the most important. The Vokkaliga support of the Congress against the retreating regional party Janata Dal (Secular), or JD(S).
However, the challenges for Siddaramaiah are many, especially as he needs to deliver on the promises made by the party and the aspirations of other leaders in the party.
Apart from running programs for the welfare of the rural masses who vote in large numbers for the Congress, he needs to balance the development of industry, provide a vision for the growing urbanization of Bengaluru and the state.
A fierce critic of the BJP-RSS, Siddaramaiah is known to speak his mind and is acutely aware of his popularity, which is why he has always talked about his ambition to become the chief minister.
Those close to him, who presented the budgets of 13 states as finance minister, say that apart from administration, finance is his biggest strength. He first became an MLA from Chamundeshwari in 1983 on a Lok Dal party ticket and won from this constituency five times and lost thrice. Before going back to Chamundeshwari, he vacated the Varuna he had built in 2008 for his younger son. This time he won over Varun.
Karnataka Congress came to power after a landslide victory
Is Siddaramaiah a staunch opponent of the RSS?
Like Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has often lambasted the RSS for its exclusion of Hindutva viewpoints, Siddaramaiah has been deeply critical of the RSS-BJP ideological stand.
Experts say that although the Siddaramaiah government’s decision to grant “religious minority” status to the dominant Lingayat community resulted in an electoral loss for the party in the 2018 assembly elections, the party still outperformed the BJP in 2023, indicating that it is Siddaramaiah’s popularity among the poor
“He cares about nobody but his own politics. He would rather meet a group of poor farmers than a big, global CEO. The interests of the people are above party for him. And he has strong beliefs. Once, We went to one.” The Math mildly expressed its concern that Siddaramaiah, as Chief Minister, never showed respect to Hindu saints. Siddaramaiah immediately retaliated by saying that his honor would not come to those who carry on Brahminical, caste-based traditions,” said a party worker.
Another activist who has observed Siddaramaiah closely said he was like Tamil Nadu social reformer Periyar EV Ramasamy Naicker, with a democratic edge who believed strongly in challenging social structures. The party worker said, “That is why he targets the RSS because he believes that it is the Hindutva ideology that leads to division. He does not believe in rituals etc.”
Big win for Congress in Karnataka has given a new boost to the party’s confidence
anti corruption image
Known for his clean image, Siddaramaiah also faced his share of controversies when his political rival questioned him for wearing a Rs 70 lakh Hublot watch. Siddaramaiah then said that the watch was a gift from a doctor friend working in the Middle East, who handed over his own watch to the Chief Minister when he admired it. Although the BJP has criticized him for weakening the Lokpal and allegedly encouraging the corrupt, Siddaramaiah has never been accused of corruption for personal gain.
grief as a father
However, it is Siddaramaiah’s woes as a father that many of his close aides remember with fondness. In 2016, Siddaramaiah’s eldest son Rakesh Siddaramaiah died at the Belgian University Hospital due to multiple organ failure. Rakesh was seen as the successor of Siddaramaiah.
“It was the first time we saw him very emotional because he had to go to Brussels to collect the body and bring it back,” said a party worker.
Yatindra was brought into politics after Rakesh’s death. A party worker said, “His wife also never took interest in politics. He never stopped people from coming and meeting him, which is his biggest strength.”