'Ahinda' buzz as CM Siddaramaiah dines with SC/ST ministers

Bengaluru: Amid fresh speculation over a change of guard after March this year, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's dinner with his Dalit Cabinet colleagues late on Thursday night created buzz over political developments in store. 

Dinner was hosted at Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi's residence along with Social Welfare Minister H C Mahadevappa, Home Minister G Parameshwara and Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna. 

It is learnt that they discussed consolidating Ahinda, the grouping of minorities, backward classes and Dalits that Siddaramaiah champions. 

The dinner meet-up took place even as Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, a chief ministerial aspirant waiting for his turn, is overseas. It also came during buzz that Siddaramaiah may resign after presenting the 2025-25 budget in March. 

Apparently, Siddaramaiah was urged not to step down under any power-sharing deal. His continuation at the helm of affairs will be good from an administrative point-of-view, the leaders are said to have discussed. 

The predominant view in one section of Congress that follows Siddaramaiah is that the chief minister's chair should be retained within the Ahinda fold, which effectively means resisting Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga, and his attempts to occupy the top job.

Satish and Mahadevappa said politics was not discussed over dinner. Asked about Siddaramaiah being the CM for a full term until 2028, Mahadevappa said: "He is the CM now and he will continue." 

But Mahadevappa did underline the significance of Ahinda. "The SC/STs, backward classes and minorities form the Congress' base. They trusted Congress and brought us to power," he said. 

Last month, a person close to Siddaramaiah told DH that the CM has not explicitly agreed to any power-sharing deal. "At the time of government formation, the Congress high command suggested a power-sharing arrangement. To this, all that Siddaramaiah said was, 'We’ll see'," this person said.  

Sources said the meeting also discussed appointing a new Karnataka Congress president, a post currently held by Shivakumar. One Congress leader said Siddaramaiah suggested Satish’s name for this job. But Satish is said to prefer continuing as a minister. 

The leaders also are learnt to have discussed enforcing the 'one person, one post' policy. This is being seen as a move to mount pressure on Shivakumar to retain either the party's presidency or his ministerial position.

Asked about a new Karnataka Congress president, Mahadevappa said this was for the party high command to decide. 

Speculation was also rife that Satish, at the dinner meet-up, complained that he was sidelined by Shivakumar during last month's event to mark the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi presiding over the 1924 Congress session at Belagavi. Satish is the minister in charge of Belagavi. Apparently, Parameshwara is also miffed with Shivakumar's "interference" in the way the police handled the case involving BJP leader C T Ravi.

After the meeting on Thursday night, Rajanna said they discussed "everything" and added: "I have had two pegs of whisky. Ask the teetotallers for details."