No politics behind postponed meeting of Karnataka Congress SC/ST leaders: Parameshwara

Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Wednesday said a dinner meeting of Congress leaders, ministers, and lawmakers from SC/ST communities, scheduled for the evening, had to be postponed following instructions from AICC General Secretary in-charge of the state, Randeep Singh Surjewala, as he wanted to attend it.

The meeting was intended as a preparatory discussion for an SC/ST convention aimed at consolidating community support for the party. Parameshwara said he has now invited Surjewala to join the meeting whenever it is rescheduled and clarified that there was no political motive behind the meeting, nor was there anything to hide.

This development follows Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s recent dinner with select Dalit and ST Cabinet colleagues, which created a buzz within the ruling Congress amid speculation about a possible change of guard in the state after March, under a "rotational chief minister" or "power-sharing" formula.

According to sources, the decision to postpone the preparatory meeting came after Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President D K Shivakumar, a chief ministerial aspirant, met AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal in New Delhi on Monday night to discuss party developments.

"We had organised an SC/ST convention in Chitradurga ahead of the Assembly polls and had promised to address several issues outlined in the Chitradurga resolution once we came to power. Many of those demands have now been fulfilled. The preparatory meeting was planned to discuss the upcoming convention, as well as issues like the cut in central funds," Parameshwara, a Dalit leader, told reporters.

He explained that the meeting had not been communicated to the party’s central leadership, as it was considered an internal matter.

"However, AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, telephoned me, expressing his interest in attending the preparatory meeting," he said.

Parameshwara invited Surjewala to participate and assured him that there was no political agenda behind the meeting. "I told him that he had attended the Chitradurga convention before the polls, so he is welcome to join this meeting as well. There is nothing secretive about it," he added.

The postponement was due to Surjewala’s inability to attend immediately. "Since the AICC General Secretary requested a temporary postponement, we have obliged. The meeting is not cancelled but will be rescheduled," Parameshwara clarified, adding that the participation of a high-command representative would be beneficial.

A section within the Congress feels that the SC/ST convention and Parameshwara’s dinner meeting could revive the demand for a Dalit or AHINDA (a Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes, and Dalits) leader to become the next chief minister. This could complicate Shivakumar’s prospects if Siddaramaiah steps down after the state budget, as speculated.

Responding to a question, Parameshwara said, "It is not clear when Surjewala will be able to attend. Once his availability is confirmed, we will fix a date for the meeting. There is no opposition to the meeting; Surjewala himself expressed interest in participating." He also criticised the media for misrepresenting the event as a "dinner meeting" when it was primarily a discussion followed by dinner.

Asked whether the high command had any misconceptions about the meeting or if anyone had opposed it, Parameshwara said, "I don’t know. Surjewala simply called, and I invited him to join. There is no political motive behind this."

Regarding the speculation that Shivakumar might have “complained” to the high command, Parameshwara said, "I don’t know anything about that." He added that there was a discussion on inviting Shivakumar to the preparatory meeting. "There is nothing to hide. If we have to do politics, we will do it openly. There are several issues faced by the Dalit community that need to be addressed."

Parameshwara dismissed suggestions that some party members might be uncomfortable with SC/ST leaders meeting to discuss issues. "No one has said so far, but if they do, we will respond appropriately. We have the strength to address such concerns," he said.

To a query if Surjewala genuinely intended to attend or was trying to ensure the meeting didn’t happen, Parameshwara said, "We will know his intentions after a few days. For now, we have postponed the meeting, and we will reschedule it soon."