Bengaluru: The removal of Congress leader, Digivijay Singh as general secretary in charge of Karnataka and Goa, even as he retains charge of Andhra Pradesh is being interpreted by many leaders as a rap on the knuckles for Mr Singh for his inability to stitch together a post-poll alliance with other parties and form a Congress led government in Goa, even though the Congress had won more seats than the Bharatiya Janata Party.
However, the far bigger implication is the effect it will have on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and his room for manouevre as the state readies for polls next year, Digvijay Singh's exit has been quietly welcomed by party workers and leaders with the exception of Chief Minister Siddaramiah and his team, with whom he had built an exceptionally close rapport. Party stalwarts like A.H. Vishwanath and B. Janardhan Poojary had in the past openly expressed their displeasure against Mr Singh, maintaining that the latter “failed to safeguard the interests of the party in Karnataka,” even as Mr Siddaramaiah was able to push through even the most unpopular decisions as it was backed by Mr Singh, who had the high command's ear. The same leaders said that Mr Singh's exit now calls into question whether Mr Siddaramaiah could continue to take unilateral decisions, particularly on the selection of candidates in the coming elections.
