Karnataka politics is again looking heated,and this time Basavaraj Bommai has gone quite direct on caretaker CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar . And honestly,calling Siddaramaiah's presence a "hanging sword" over Shivakumar's leadership is not small statement ah .
Bommai said all this during press conference in Haveri on May 29 . His point was simple from BJP side: as long as Siddaramaiah is around politically,Shivakumar’s own leadership space inside Congress may never feel fully free.
And tbh,this is where Congress internal politics becomes more interesting than usual election talk . Bommai is clearly trying to show that BJP sees some tension inside Congress,and he also said BJP is confident of returning to power independently in upcoming elections.
He also looked back at Siddaramaiah’s long political journey of over four decades . Bommai said,"Siddaramaiah entered politics in 1983," and recalled their earlier connection,especially during time Siddaramaiah launched AHINDA movement advocating for minorities,backward classes,and Dalits .
But same relationship did not remain politically same after Siddaramaiah joined Congress . Bommai suggested their paths moved apart badly after that,and now he is using that history to attack Congress also.
Few things standing out from Bommai’s comments:
- He criticized Congress for replacing an OBC Chief Minister and said it shows neglect towards backward classes.
- He warned Siddaramaiah's supporters may react adversely to Congress's decisions .
- He said BJP’s future success will depend on social engineering and community outreach.
And Bommai did not stop at leadership issue only . He also attacked Congress government's financial management,claiming state has taken nearly ₹4 lakh crore debt over last three years without creating productive assets.
His allegation is that borrowing is mainly going into guarantee schemes,and because of that,no long-term revenue generation is happening . That is serious charge because welfare schemes always become political weapon in Karnataka,from both sides.
Bommai also brought up old Karnataka political pattern,claiming many leaders who stayed around seven years in power later faced defeat . According to him,Siddaramaiah’s current situation looks similar,and Congress’s internal equations may create big changes soon .
But question is whether this is real trouble inside Congress,or BJP trying to push that story before elections…
