75th B-day bash will send out political message: Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Friday held a meeting with party's state President D K Shivakumar, amid talks of discord within regarding his 75th birthday bash, and said there will certainly be a political message from the event, as none in politics are 'Sanyasis'.

The former CM said the event at the district headquarters town of Davangere next month, though not being held on a party platform, is being organised by Congress leaders and workers.

The event gains significance ahead of 2023 assembly polls, in which Congress will seek to wrest power from the BJP, and heightening competition within the party as to who would be the possible CM face.

"There will certainly be a political message (from the event), are we Sanyasis? Is Rahul Gandhi or Shivakumar a Sanyasi? It will be there. Isn't listing out our achievements during our five years tenure politics? Isn't recalling my political journey a politics? It is there, nothing can be done without politics," Siddaramaiah said in response to a question.

Speaking to reporters after nearly an hour-long breakfast meeting, with Shivakumar next to him, he said both of them have discussed party programmes and how to face the next election.

The Congress Legislature Party Leader said party people are organisng the 75th birthday event and the Siddaramaiah-75 Amrut Mahotsava committee too has senior party leaders like R V Deshpande as its Chairman, K N Rajanna as president, Basavaraj Rayareddy as General Secretary, and Shamanuru Shivashankarappa and H C Mahadevappa are heading the reception committee.

"Party people will be there in the event, which is being organised as I turn 75, considering it a milestone. Though it is not on the party's platform, party people are organising it," he said.

The Siddaramaiah-75 Amrut Mahotsava Committee has 62 people, mostly Congress leaders, as vice-presidents, general secretaries and organising secretaries. There’s a separate welcoming committee with 27 members.

Noting that there is no objection to the birthday bash within the party and reports to the contrary are a creation of the media, Siddaramaiah said, "Did I call the event Siddaramotsava? Who did it? it is Siddaramaiah-75 Amrut Mahotsava, it is no Siddaramaotsava." In response to a query, he said that he has invited Congress national leader Rahul Gandhi, Shivakumar, and senior leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge, B K Hariprasad, K H Muniyappa and M B Patil for the event, and will not be inviting other party leaders.

Interestingly, Shivakumar amid attempts to project the event, organised by his supporters and well-wishers, in the form of a massive convention on August 3, as "apolitical", and to celebrate and highlight Siddaramaiah’s persona, career and contributions, had on Thursday said it will held under the aegis of the Congress party.

According to sources, the decision to associate the party with the event was taken foreseeing the risk of it becoming a show of strength for Siddaramaiah and his camp, ahead of 2023 assembly polls.

Shivakumar on his part today said the meeting with Siddaramaiah was following a meeting with party office bearers to discuss certain programmes to be organised as per the directions of the AICC, and how to take the party forward.

Speaking about Siddarmaiah's 75th birthday, he said the aim is to make it known to the people the achievements and good work done by the Congress government under his leadership.

Other than projecting Siddaramaiah and his contributions, the event is also being seen as an attempt by his camp to send a message to both the high command and his detractors within the party, ahead of polls, while consolidating his 'AHINDA' vote base.

AHINDA is a Kannada acronym that stands for 'Alpasankhyataru' (minorities), 'Hindulidavaru' (Backward Classes) and 'Dalitaru' (Dalits).

Several old time Congress leaders including Shivakumar are said to be not comfortable with Siddaramaiah's birthday bash, but have not come out in open following high command's diktat.

Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have been nursing chief ministerial ambitions and are also working towards consolidating their clout within the state Congress, ahead of the assembly polls in Karnataka next year.

There have been several instances of open display of one-upmanship between two leaders in the past.