BENGALURU: Sonia Gandhi’s continuation as interim president for six months is a temporary respite for the Karnataka state leadership which had thrown its weight behind her family.
Even as the CWC meet was under way, former chief minister and opposition leader Siddaramaiah publicly backed Sonia Gandhi and her son, former AICC president Rahul Gandhi, as the only people who could lead the party.
Other veterans, including Rajya Sabha member Mallikarjun Kharge and KPCC president DK Shivakumar, made similar statements in the past 24 hours.
However, a section of the state unit leadership believes a debate is needed on the relevance of the Gandhi family in the party. “That the Gandhis themselves have been voicing a change in leadership — first when Rahul Gandhi resigned and later backed by his sister Priyanka Gandhi — is evidence that a non-Gandhi must be considered seriously,” said a senior partyfunctionary.
Deep ties with the state unit
The Karnataka Congress has a deep relationship with the Gandhis. “The Gandhis and Congress party are two sides of the same coin for Karnataka. They are inseparable in the state” said Congress media incharge B L Shankar.
But more than popular support, the historical connection of the Gandhis and their impact on party leadership is crucial for Karnataka Congress backing the family.
From Indira Gandhi contesting by-elections in Chikkamagaluru to Sonia Gandhi filing nomination from Ballari, the state unit has had a strong connection with the first family of the Congress.
“In Chittapur, there is a small place called Station Thana. Even today, people there put up posters of Indira Gandhi and my father Mallikarjun Kharge for a municipal election. The Gandhi family is in the DNA of the Congress and cannot be separated,” said Chittapur MLA Priyank Kharge.
That Sonia Gandhi had played a crucial role in elevating seniors from the state to higher positions is perhaps why the state Congress backs the Gandhi family in debates whether a non-Gandhi needs to be at the helm of affairs at the national level.
From inducting Siddaramaiah into the party and making him a chief minister to ensuring Mallikarjun Kharge became leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha last time and now a Rajya Sabha members, and from elevating Shivakumar to becoming state unit president to playing a key role in distributing party tickets (including one for JD-S supremo HD Deve Gowda in the Rajya Sabha elections), Sonia Gandhi continues to hold sway in Karnataka.
Even as the CWC meet was under way, former chief minister and opposition leader Siddaramaiah publicly backed Sonia Gandhi and her son, former AICC president Rahul Gandhi, as the only people who could lead the party.
Other veterans, including Rajya Sabha member Mallikarjun Kharge and KPCC president DK Shivakumar, made similar statements in the past 24 hours.
However, a section of the state unit leadership believes a debate is needed on the relevance of the Gandhi family in the party. “That the Gandhis themselves have been voicing a change in leadership — first when Rahul Gandhi resigned and later backed by his sister Priyanka Gandhi — is evidence that a non-Gandhi must be considered seriously,” said a senior partyfunctionary.
Deep ties with the state unit
The Karnataka Congress has a deep relationship with the Gandhis. “The Gandhis and Congress party are two sides of the same coin for Karnataka. They are inseparable in the state” said Congress media incharge B L Shankar.
But more than popular support, the historical connection of the Gandhis and their impact on party leadership is crucial for Karnataka Congress backing the family.
From Indira Gandhi contesting by-elections in Chikkamagaluru to Sonia Gandhi filing nomination from Ballari, the state unit has had a strong connection with the first family of the Congress.
“In Chittapur, there is a small place called Station Thana. Even today, people there put up posters of Indira Gandhi and my father Mallikarjun Kharge for a municipal election. The Gandhi family is in the DNA of the Congress and cannot be separated,” said Chittapur MLA Priyank Kharge.
That Sonia Gandhi had played a crucial role in elevating seniors from the state to higher positions is perhaps why the state Congress backs the Gandhi family in debates whether a non-Gandhi needs to be at the helm of affairs at the national level.
From inducting Siddaramaiah into the party and making him a chief minister to ensuring Mallikarjun Kharge became leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha last time and now a Rajya Sabha members, and from elevating Shivakumar to becoming state unit president to playing a key role in distributing party tickets (including one for JD-S supremo HD Deve Gowda in the Rajya Sabha elections), Sonia Gandhi continues to hold sway in Karnataka.
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