Congress puts up unity display while Siddaramaiah steals the show

Siddaramaiah's 75th birthday celebration could well be the boost the party needed to create momentum for the 2023 Assembly elections

The Congress tried to make full use of the massive show of strength that was on display Wednesday to deliver the message of unity among its leaders, but it really was former chief minister Siddaramaiah's moment to demonstrate that the wave is in his favour.

Siddaramaiah's 75th birthday celebration could well be the boost the party needed to create momentum for itself with just nine months left for the 2023 Assembly elections, going by the sheer number of party supporters who showed up.

"Congress is completely united to defeat RSS-BJP in Karnataka," former AICC president Rahul Gandhi declared, but not before showering praises on both Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar, who is also in the chief ministerial race should the party win next year. "Shivakumar has done tremendous work for the Congress' organisation," Rahul said. "When we come to power, you’ll get a government that works in the interest of every person in Karnataka."

Rahul said he does not normally go to birthday celebrations. “I’m here because I share a special relationship with Siddaramaiah. I share his views and compassion for the poor and weak. And, I also appreciate the way he ran the last government. It believed in the idea of fairness that we don’t see in the BJP government,” he said.

Shivakumar felicitated Siddaramaiah with a silk shawl from Ramanagara, followed by a hug. They raised each other's hands to romp home the message of 'collective leadership'.

Likewise, no Congress leader projected Siddaramaiah as the party's chief ministerial candidate, belying the crowd's intention. However, the central idea was to show Siddaramaiah as the paragon of good governance.

"Congress has recognised the leadership quality of Siddaramaiah," AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said. "In the 2023 election, we'll have Siddaramaiah and the most dynamic PCC president DK Shivakumar...you can't see such a galaxy of leaders in any other party. We have only one goal: bring back Congress under this leadership."

According to Congress leaders, the 8-lakh-strong crowd comprised voters from all 224 Assembly constituencies, making it a perfect opportunity to set the record straight on infighting within the party. Apparently, this was discussed in the KPCC Political Affairs Committee meeting held late Tuesday night. Many attendees were Kurubas, the community that Siddaramaiah belongs to.

Siddaramaiah himself cleared the air about his relationship with Shivakumar. "The Opposition and the media create things to mislead people by saying things like we have a rift and that Shivakumar opposed the birthday celebration," he said. "Shivakumar and I are together. We have no misunderstanding. The challenge before us is that there's a corrupt and communal government that must be removed. We need to install a Congress government here under Rahul Gandhi's leadership," he said, and sought blessings from the huge crowd.

Shivakumar said Siddaramaiah should not be projected as an OBC leader. "He belongs to all communities," he said. "Under his stewardship, we will go forward. We've decided on collective leadership to face polls," he said.