Politics in Karnataka is on the boil and the situation is likely to worsen in the days to come, given the animosity within the rank and file of the Congress and that of Congress leaders with the Janata Dal (Secular) irrespective of the fact that the two parties are together in running a coalition government under the leadership of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy.
The stage is thus getting set for a fall of the government although it may not happen too soon as is being mentioned since what has brought the two parties together is their political compulsion to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party out of power. The coalition government has just completed six months in office and the Congress and the JD(S) are likely to continue with the alliance until the elections to the Lok Sabha that are due in a few months and the future of the understanding thereafter depends on the election verdict.
The rift in the Congress over the past month is on expected lines since nearly all the legislators are keen on holding positions of power, be it that of a Minister, a parliamentary secretary or in the least, chairperson of a government-run board or corporation. The recent expansion of the Council of Ministers and the appointment of chairpersons to boards and corporations, without any appropriate guidelines, has triggered the present round of differences within the Congress and added to this has been the attempt of the BJP to fish in the troubled waters. In the present arrangement of governance there is no such available space to accommodate all the legislators, and with a weak central leadership, the legislators are now at their best in issuing statements contrary to the party guidelines and this is rocking the party on the one hand and its understanding with the JD(S) on the other.
In a way, the Congress high command is unable to control the growing influence of the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is chairman of the coordination committee of the Congress–JD(S) alliance and also leader of the Congress Legislature Party. It should be noted that the legislators extending support to Mr Siddaramaiah have had their way in occupying powerful positions and it is only natural they have been loyal to him, and being a popular mass leader, there is very little that the Congress leadership can do to checkmate him. With the elections to the Lok Sabha round the corner, Mr. Siddaramaiah is expected to be even more powerful in the matter of ticket distribution.
Although it is common knowledge that the governance of the State has been relegated to the background, thanks to infighting between the two coalition partners, the Chief Minister has made a statement that he is ready to resign since complaints of poor governance have emanated from the Congress camp. Mr. Kumaraswamy should know it well that he has been lucky in being the Chief Minister and enjoys ample opportunity to do his best for the betterment of the JD(S) in the company of his father and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. Irrespective of the fact that the JD(S) has parted control of over 20 departments of the government to the Congress, being the Chief Minister, Mr. Kumaraswamy has the final say on all decisions of the government with Congressmen being reduced to playing second fiddle.
(The writer is Senior Fellow, The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy)