Bengaluru: He may no longer be Chief Minister, but Kuruba strongman, Siddaramaiah has emerged as the man to go to in times of crisis in the Congress party since the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) government came to power in Karnataka four months ago. Unfortunately for other Congress leaders, who have been with the party much longer than he has, this has put him in an enviable position of strength. Be it sorting out issues during the formation of the coalition government or dealing with Congress legislators unhappy at being denied a Cabinet berth, Mr Siddaramaiah has proved his mettle and won the confidence of Congress president, Rahul Gandhi.
From day one of the swearing- in of the Kumaraswamy government, Congress MLAs have reposed faith more in him than other leaders like Deputy Chief Minister, Dr G Parameshwar , PCC president, Dinesh Gundu Rao or Congress floor leader in the Lok Sabha, M Mallikarjun Kharge. In fact, most legislators appear to see him as a messaiah , who has the ability to resolve any matter thanks to his rich political experience of over four decades.
While Municipal Administration Minister, Ramesh Jarkiholi and his brother and Yamakanamaradi MLA, Satish Jarkiholi, reportedly refused to discuss their problems concerning the elections to the Belagavi District Primary Land Development Bank with both Dr Parameshwar and Mr Dinesh Gundu Rao, they waited for Mr Siddaramaiah’s return to talk to him. Mr Gandhi too waited for his arrival to sort out issues with the brothers with the help of AICC General Secretary in charge of Karnataka, K C Venugopal. And hours after his return, Mr Siddaramaiah swung into action without bothering about his jet lag to hold a meeting with the Belagavi brothers and also a series of meetings with other party legislators upset at their treatment by the coalition government.
Party sources say some Congressmen, who have been with the party for years, are reportedly unhappy with the special attention being given to Mr Siddaramaiah despite his failure to bring the Congress back to power in the state. "But if he is able to resolve the current crisis involving the Jarkiholi brothers, his hold on the party will only increase further," add sources.
