‘Not in a hurry, party will decide’, says DK Shivakumar on CM’s post
Dy CM, who encountered a mut head in Vokkaliga in the morning, also tried to distance himself from the statements of the religious mut heads of his community. Claiming that he belongs to the Congress community, Shivakumar said, “I don’t want any community angle.” The eight-term MLA belongs to the second largest Vokkaligas community in Karnataka.
“I may be a Vokkaliga but I love everyone equally including OBCs, SC/STs and minorities,” he said and pledged his allegiance to all communities. While acknowledging the support of the farming community, he added that the Vokkaligas are also OBCs.
Dy CM’s comments, which seek to distance himself from the community, stem from a counter campaign launched by leaders of a much larger OBC, SC/ST and minorities (Ahinda) group. They opposed the demands of the Vokkaliga mutts, saying the community constituted only less than a fifth of the population, but the Ahinda communities were much larger in size and had supported Siddaramaiah’s leadership in the assembly polls two years ago.
Both the leaders moved on after exchanging bitter cryptic messages on social media on Thursday, indirectly questioning each other over allegations of broken promises regarding the CM’s stance.
Vokkaligara Sangha, the apex organization of Vokkaligas, has warned the Congress about the consequences of the upcoming elections if Shivakumar is not elevated to the post of CM. Nirmalayandanatha Swamy of AdiChunchanagiri mutt openly supported Shivakumar’s claim. The leadership battle has gained momentum since the party regime completed half of its term earlier this month and Shivakumar spoke about a “secret” (deal) known to five-six senior leaders ahead of Siddaramaiah’s swearing-in in May 2023.
