Is Congress committing ‘harakiri’ in Karnataka?

It’s been almost two years since the Congress came to power in Karnataka, with an unexpectedly comfortable majority. Anyone would have expected the party to consolidate its power and even look for a long-term in office.

Yet, as the explosive honey-trap allegation by a state minister shows, the Siddaramaiah government is a long way from stability. A subterranean instability is plaguing the government, overshadowing even its mandated activities — like the implementation of the guarantee schemes.

An explosive allegation

The allegation of a honey-trap scandal was made by state Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna right inside the Assembly, in reply to the issue brought up by an opposition BJP legislator Basanagowda Patil Yatnal. Why would a senior minister like Rajanna validate and elaborate publicly on the allegation at the risk of destabilising the very government of which he is part?

Also read: Karnataka: 48 politicians honey-trapped, claims minister KN Rajanna

It is entirely possible that the alleged scandal is a pointer to a deep-seated power struggle within the ruling Congress in Karnataka. It’s not every day that a minister makes an allegation of such magnitude in the Assembly. He said there were possibly around 48 victims of the honey-trap blackmail, from all parties, including some at the regional and national level. Rajanna demanded a high-level probe and fish out those behind it.

Why in Assembly?

Rajanna could have discreetly brought all this it to the notice of his leader, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and saved the government from embarrassment. But he chose to do it in the most brazen manner.

One can argue that Rajanna made the allegation in the Assembly as, according to him, he himself, along with Home Minister Parameshwara, were possible victims. The result was Rajanna’s emotional outburst that has the potential to endanger the Congress government.

The irony is inescapable. Here you have a party that can potentially sail through its full term with little sweat. The ruling Congress couldn’t be sitting prettier than now, with an unexpectedly comfortable 137 seats out of a total 224.

An air of insecurity

On paper, the party is unshakeable. Yet, it is constantly surrounded by an air of insecurity and uncertainty. Instead of focussing on the promises it made prior to the elections, it is haunted by internal squabbles, with the honey-trap allegation taking the cake.

Also read: Minister Rajanna yet to file a complaint in honey trap case: G Parameshwara

The electorate in Karnataka voted the Congress to power in May 2023, tired of the mess-ups of the previous BJP government. An internal power struggle, followed by allegations of corruption and the heightened communal polarisation, turned out to be the recipe for the BJP’s disastrous showing at the hustings.

An unseemly power struggle

The Congress did no better after winning the election. The unseemly power struggle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and (now) his deputy DK Shivakumar was embarrassing for those who had voted in the party. After a few days, when a compromise was hammered out and the two settled down in their jobs, the party’s supporters expected them to focus on governance.

Instead, the fault lines between the No. 1 and No. 2 haven’t vanished. The differences keep cropping up. Either you are a Siddaramaiah follower or a DK factotum within the Congress Legislature Party. Mind you, the Congress is in power in just three states having lost badly elsewhere across the country. The BJP is constantly at its heels, waiting to bite when the Congress falters.

A self-goal?

In Karnataka, the MUDA scam, the Valmiki scam, etc., have seen the predictable entry of the Centre’s investigative agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to sew up the loose ends and try fix the state Congress leadership. That is a work in progress. Siddaramaiah and his team have managed to stave off their political predators using all their experience, at least for now.

Also read: LoP Ashoka accuses Karnataka govt of tapping legislators' phones

Just when it seemed that the government may be finally settling down in its job, here comes the googly. Or a self-goal, or maybe even a potential “harakiri”, in the form of the honey-trap allegation.

It is obvious that the allegation needs to be proved. But the fact that a senior minister like Rajanna chose an Assembly session to make it public means there must be something to it. It cannot be all smoke and no fire.

A boon for BJP

Worse, the internal feud within the Congress is an unexpected laddoo for the BJP, which is impatiently waiting for an opportunity to unseat the government. Siddaramaiah and his team have got away so far because of an equally corrosive infighting within the state unit of the BJP. Even the powerful trio of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and the national party president JP Nadda have not been able to douse infighting in the state BJP.

Now that we are in the IPL season, a cricketing comparison sums up the situation best. It is similar to two batsmen (Congress) stranded on the same side during a run. But there is no fielder (BJP) near the ball to effect a run out. Either one of the batsmen is able to run back to his side or a fielder gets to the ball first. We need to wait and see.

History repeating itself?

As a popular saying goes, those who forget history are condemned to repeat it. In this case, it is the Congress that is suffering from amnesia. In 1989, the party in Karnataka won with the highest-ever tally securing a humongous 178 out of the 224 seats — a dream victory.

Also read: Will order high-level probe into 'honey trap' cases: Karnataka Home Minister

Instead of focusing on governance and earning the trust of the voters, the party then soon got embroiled in bitter infighting. First, the then chief minister Veerendra Patil (a Lingayat) was imperiously sacked by the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, the price of which the party has had to pay ever since by losing much of the Lingayat vote.

Veerendra Patil’s replacement was soon followed by a no-holds-barred infighting, with a section of legislators going all out trying to unseat the successor chief minister S Bangarappa. He was replaced eventually by the party leadership (then PV Narasimha Rao and Sitaram Kesri) in Delhi with M Veerappa Moily.

But Moily, too, was not allowed to govern in peace, as the then Assembly Speaker SM Krishna and his supporters attempted to unseat him.

Though the party managed to complete the full term, in the subsequent election in 1994, the Congress came third with a meagre 34 seats (remember, down from 178) — this time behind the Janata Dal and the BJP.

Distracted by power

When in power, supposedly wise and experienced politicians like Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar seem to forget everything in the quest to hold on to power. They are probably unaware or too distracted by power that the common voter who elected the Congress doesn’t care two hoots who the chief minister is, as long as the party they elected is in power, stays united and works for the people.

Unfortunately, the voter is routinely forgotten once a party is in power. A victory is followed by an embarrassing squabble by elected MLAs to either become the chief minister, or a minister with some portfolio or in a worst case, at least get nominated as the chairperson of a board or corporation.

Of course, this is a problem with all political parties, especially so in Karnataka. But, right now, it is the ruling Congress that is shedding its dignity in public. The voters are watching and will not forgive the party if it lets them down, once again.