‘Now castes and Swamijis have taken over,’ says Congress leader Veerappa Moily on Karnataka CM crisis

BENGALURU: Amid a lingering tussle in Karnataka for the post of Chief Minister, Congress leader M Veerappa Moily on Friday expressed concern over the delay in resolving the issue and said the party leadership should step in immediately.

Moily, a former union minister, said that the party’s “totally internal problem has blown up and now the castes have taken over, the Swamijis have taken over”.

There has been a tussle within the Congress government in Karnataka amid speculation over a power-sharing agreement concerning Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy, DK Shivakumar.

Moily said the party’s central leadership should immediately step in as a lot of confusion has been created and it should stop “this kind of lobbying”.

“It is totally an internal problem, and it has blown up, and now the castes have taken over, the Swamijis have taken over, which is most undesirable. I think the high command should immediately step in now and stop this. Whether to change the CM or appoint a new one, or whatever it is, this has to be done internally…And now the issue has been thrown open, so a lot of confusion has been created. It’s not a desirable development,” Moily said.

He also opposed “so-called 50-50 formula”, saying it hasn’t helped Congress but added that if such a commitment has been made, it should be honoured.

He said the person suitable to lead the party to victory in next polls should be selected.

“Silence is disastrous. I don’t think this is the time to remain silent, and they (Congress high command) need to step forward and say don’t continue this kind of lobbying, don’t take this issue to the public. We have resolved many such issues, especially Sonia ji. She is capable of solving problems.

The so-called 50-50 formula hasn’t helped Congress at all. In the future, I don’t think there should be a 50-50 formula. And if there is a 50-50 formula, they must implement it without hesitation,” he said.

“Delhi has to halt this development first, then take a decision. I am not a candidate at all and whoever is strong, who can complete the term and lead the party to success in the next term, I think such a person should be selected…Whoever is suitable to lead the party should be selected or the person to be continued. That’s all,” he said.

Moily said Congress is responsible for the problem and the BJP is trying to create problems for the party.
Nanjavadutha Swamiji, a spiritual leader from the Vokkaliga community, visited Shivakumar’s residence on Friday and the seer publicly backed him amid apparent tussle for the post of Chief Minister.

The spiritual leader praised Shivakumar, saying he has worked tirelessly to strengthen the Congress party and has remained loyal to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

“Shivakumar is a prominent leader of the community, and his contributions to the party will never be forgotten. He faced immense hardships, but despite being given the responsibility of the party presidency during a challenging time, he didn’t lose heart and worked tirelessly to strengthen the party. He remained loyal to the Sonia and Rahul Gandhi family,” said Nanjavadutha Swamiji.

Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have been exchanging cryptic posts on social media, with Siddaramaiah emphasising that “a word is not power unless it betters the world” and Shivakumar stating that “word power is world power.”

Shivakumar is pushing for a leadership change, citing a “secret agreement” among senior leaders that he should take over as CM after 2.5 years.

Shivakumar on Friday met with Congress MLAs and leaders from Malluru, Kolar, Mulbagal and Kunigal.In a post on X, Shivakumar shared, “Today, KY Nanjegowda, the MLA from Malluru, Kotturu Manjunath, the MLA from Kolar, Adi Narayana, the Congress leader from Mulbagal, Dr Ranganath, the MLA from Kunigal, and Prof MV Rajeev Gowda visited me and held discussions,” he said.

Speculations about a leadership change in Karnataka rose earlier this month when the Siddaramaiah-led government completed its half-term.

Earlier today, Shivakumar reiterated that he does not want to rush into things and that the party high command will take a decision on the CM post.
When asked about his meeting with spiritual leader Nanjavadutha Swamiji of the Vokkaliga community amid the power tussle, Shivakumar said the Congress is his community and that he treats all communities in the state equally.

“I don’t want anything. I am not hurrying anything. My party will make the decision. I don’t want any community angle. Congress is my community, and my love is for all sections of society.”

Shivakumar said he will visit Delhi to keep Karnataka’s farmer issues at the forefront during the Winter Session of the Parliament.

“I will definitely go to Delhi. It is our temple. Congress has a long history, and Delhi will always guide us. When they call me, the party leaders and CM, we will go there. I have a lot of work in Delhi. The Parliament Winter Session is coming up, and I have to meet the Parliamentarians because they need to take forward some of our projects. My CM is discussing the issues (with the Centre). There is the maize issue. The central government is not supporting or helping farmers. We have decided to call a meeting of factory owners. We request that Delhi take over and you buy it,” he said. (ANI)