Treading cautiously on caste equations ahead of 2018, the Congress high command seems inclined to maintain status quo on the matter of a chief for the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). Incumbent president G. Parameshwara is likely to continue as party chief, and an announcement will be made in a day or two.
After a meeting with senior party leaders, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Dr. Parameshwara, the All-India Congress Committee vice-president Rahul Gandhi is learnt to have given his nod for Dr. Parameshwara to continue. Sources said the party high command is inclined towards have a Dalit heading the party, especially in the backdrop of atrocities against Dalits across the country.
Sources said Dr. Parameshwara, who has completed six years in office and almost two years as Home Minister, will resign as the Home Minister soon after the official announcement.
Although Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Water Resources Minister M.B. Patil, S.R. Patil, MLC, and former Union Minister K.H. Muniyappa are in the race for the party chief’s post, there is a general consensus among party workers that it would be beneficial for the party to continue with a Dalit leader at this juncture. This is crucial in the context of the Opposition BJP trying to woo Dalit voters.
Sources said the high command has studied reports on the political situation in Karnataka and gathered information about the aspirants from AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka, K.C. Venugopal, who had held review meetings last week in Bengaluru.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting in Delhi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the party chief’s announcement will be made in a day or two. “Apart from discussion on the party chief, we also deliberated upon reshuffling party office-bearers to strengthen the party. We discussed strategies to be adopted in the coming election,” he said.
Although the Chief Minister said there was no discussion on Cabinet expansion and that the vacant ministerial berths will be filled up after the monsoon session of the legislature, sources said Mr. Siddaramaiah had been given a go-ahead to fill the vacant berths. To balance caste equations, the Chief Minister is likely to accommodate MLAs from Vokkaliga, Lingayat and Backward Classes in his Cabinet, sources added.
