Amid Congress turmoil, Hubli gears up for Siddaramaiah’s show of strength

Supporters have planned a grand celebration next month in Hubli to mark Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah’s 77^th birthday – to deliver a message to critics both within and beyond the ruling Congress.

The organisers say the ‘Siddaramotsva 2.0” will attract top Congress leaders. A similar event held two years earlier led to the consolidation of AHINDA votes behind the veteran politician. AHINDA stands for Alpasankhyata (minority), Hindulidavara (OBC) and Dalitaru (SC/ST)) – the communities which together make up the overwhelming majority in Karnataka.

Amid renewed demands that Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar should take over as the chief minister, Siddaramaiah’s supporters believe the time has come for another show of strength. A huge 100 kg cake will be cut to mark the celebration, which is expected to be attended by 3 to 4 lakh people from various districts of the state.

Prominent invitees to the event will be Congress president M Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi. Shivakumar too will be invited, an organiser told The Federal.

Mass leader

Siddaramaiah will turn 77 on August 3. Unlike the 2022 celebration which came ahead of the 2023 assembly elections that led to the BJP’s ouster from power, no election is due now.

The gathering next month will be to showcase Siddaramaiah’s political strength and mass leadership among the AHINDA communities in Karnataka. It also aims to send a strong message to his political opponents.

"We want to show the unquestionable AHINDA leadership of Siddaramaiah and to establish him as an unquestionable leader in the state Congress," said an AHINDA leader. "No one can question Siddaramaiah's leadership as the chief minister."

There is fierce competition within the Congress to be recognised as the top leader of the backward classes in the state. MLC and former Congress general secretary BK Hariprasad and Shivakumar are strong contenders.

The demand to replace Siddaramaiah by Shivakumar is not new. However, a recent statement by Chandrashekharanath Swamiji of the Vishwa Vokkaliga Maha Samsthana Peetha in Bengaluru on the issue has revived the row.

Why Hubli?

At the birthday event, under the banner 'Siddaramaiah AHINDA Ratna,' awards will be given away to achievers in 76 different fields. An award selection committee and a reception committee have been formed. AHINDA leaders from all districts will meet the chief minister soon to finalize the event's time and date.

Although districts like Bellary, Raichur, Koppal and Vijayapura had also offered to host the birthday celebration, the organisers chose Hubli for a reason.

When Siddaramaiah was in the Janata Dal (Secular) and had a disagreement with its leader and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, it was at Hubli where the AHINDA umbrella organisation was born.

The 2005 gathering in Hubli marked the beginning of Siddaramaiah's rise in politics. Now, Hubli has been chosen again to demonstrate his strength.

AHINDA leaders have warned of state-wide protests if Siddaramaiah is axed as the chief minister.

Who will be CM?

"Siddaramaiah is the reason for the Congress coming to power in Karnataka. If there is any attempt to remove him as chief minister, it will not end well," said AHINDA president Chandrashekhar Karadkopp.

Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar wanted to be the chief minister after the Congress stormed to power last year in Karnataka. The Congress eventually opted for Siddaramaiah.

But the ambitious Shivakumar has expressed his discontent over the planned ‘Siddaramotsava’ on several occasions.

Some event organisers, however, say they will also try to bring together Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar together on the occasion for the betterment of everyone, the Congress party included.