Karnataka: Shivakumar-Siddaramiah Squabble Over CM Post Revives Long-festering Demand To Anoint Dalit For Top Post

The internal bickering between state Congress chief D K Shivakumar and former chief minister Siddaramaiah for the chief ministerial post in the event of Congress winning the Assembly polls has revived a long-festering demand for a Dalit candidate for the top post.

Amid stiff competition between him and Siddaramiah, Shivakumar's attempts to bring AICC chief M Mallikarjun Kharge's name into the race has raised eyebrows within party circles.

Some see the KPCC chief's move to endorse Kharge as a clever attempt by him to checkmate Siddaramaiah's prospects by stoking the debate on 'Dalit CM' and 'native versus migrant' within the party.

Shivakumar's statements that he would "love" to work under Kharge if he becomes the Chief Minister and that there are voices within the party that "injustice" has happened to the veteran leader in the past have got tongues wagging among many in the state unit of the party.

"He (Kharge) is our senior leader and AICC President. He has not asked for it (CM post), Congress should come to power is his only desire. He is a senior leader and there are some voices that say that injustice has happened to him in the past," Shivakumar said in response to a question regarding bringing Kharge's name to the fore.

Shivakumar's statements regarding Kharge, an 80-year-old leader from the Dalit community, has once again triggered a debate in the Congress over "Dalit CM", with other senior leaders from the community like G Parameshwara and former Union Minister K H Muniyappa in the poll fray.

Despite significant resistance from the local unit of Congress, Muniyappa was chosen as the party candidate from the Devanahalli assembly seat.

A seven-time M.P. from the Kolar Lok Sabha seat, Muniyappa, bit the dust in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He was defeated by BJP's S Muniswamy, a little-known corporator from Bengaluru.

Some supporters of Siddaramiah fear that Muniyappa might throw his hat in the ring, leveraging 'Dalit CM' card and loyalty to the high command.

Karnataka has never had a Dalit CM.

Former Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president and Deputy CM G. Parameshwara has often been vocal in expressing his ambition for the top job.

In February 2023, Parameshwar said at least ten leaders of Congress aspire to become the chief minister and he was one among them.

"Why am I in politics? To come to power; everyone has aspirations. About 10 leaders have aspirations in our party (to become the chief minister) and I'm one among them," Parameshwara said while speaking on the sidelines of an event held in Tumakuru district.

In February 2019, Parameshwara (then the deputy CM in Congress-JD(S) caused a stir by claiming he was deprived of the top post because of discrimination against Dalits.

"I am a victim of suppression and hence couldn't get the CM's post. I reluctantly accepted the DyCM's post, in which I was not interested," he said while addressing a meeting organised by Chalavadi Mahasabha.

Parameshwara said that Congress leaders in the state from the Dalit community, including B Basavalingappa, KH Ranganath, and Mallikarjun Kharge, were kept away from the top post despite having suitable credentials and experience.

"All of them could have become CMs, but were victims of Dalit suppression," he said. Parameshwara said he came for the Chalavadi Mahasabha to voice his disappointment and seek the community's support.

Another Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member L Hanumanthaiah demanded that the party allow a Dalit to be the CM.

Karnataka has never had a Dalit CM. There has been pressure from a section within the Congress to consider this, as several capable leaders in the party are from the community.

Since 1952, the state has seen nine Lingayats (B.D Jatti, S. R. Kanthi, S.Nijalingappa, Veerendra Patil, S. R. Bommai, J.H Patil, B.S Yediyurappa, Jagadish Shettar, Basavaraj Bommai), six Vokkaligas (Kengal Hanumanthaiah, Kadidal Manjappa, H. D. Deve Gowda, S.M Krishna, H.D Kumaraswamy and Sadananda Gowda), three OBCs (S.Bangarappa, Veerappa Moily, Siddaramaiah), two Brahmins (Ramakrishna Hegde, Gundu Rao), one Rajput (Dharam Singh) and one Arasu (Devaraj Urs) as C.M.s.

Losing support among Dalits?

Cutting across sub-castes, the Dalit community in the state used to form a huge support base of Congress in the state. However, SC (Right) dominated political representation in the party, especially the preponderance of Holeya members in the legislative assembly compared to the minuscule representation of Madigas. 

Congress's Dalit leadership is dominated by S.C. (Right). AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, former deputy chief minister CM G.Parameshswara and former Union Minister K.H Muniyappa all belong to S.C. (Right) category

Dalit politics in the state, however, began to change thanks to some deft social engineering and sustained Sangh outreach. BJP began gaining significant support among the S.C. (Left), especially the Madiga community.

While Lingayats form the bulwark of the BJP support base in the state, the party could successfully add S.C. (Left) to its social coalition. Disillusioned with the Congress appeasing the S.C. (Right), Madigas voted in large numbers for the BJP in 2008, helping it capture power in the state.

BJP also managed to win the backing of Basavamurthy Swami, an influential seer of the Madara Chennaiah Gurupeetha Math in the Chitradurga district. BJP also promoted leaders within the S.C. (Left) especially Govind M. Karjol, a Madiga, who served as Deputy Chief Minister in B.S. Yeddyurappa ministry.