DKS has a plan, he needs a new image

DK Shivakumar, who took over as the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president on Thursday, may have breathed some life into the party state unit by galvanising both leaders and grassroots workers, forcing even the ruling BJP to take notice. Shivakumar may have made a good beginning with the hugely successful virtual swearing-in ceremony which, the party claims, was watched by some 16 lakh people on various platforms. However, he cannot afford to rest on that success. For one, he would do well to constantly guard his back. Congressmen, as he doubtless knows, have a penchant for pulling each other down, ignoring the larger interests of the party. Two declarations -- that he would convert Congress into a cadre-based party, and that he would take all sections along instead of being the lone ranger that he is often accused of being -- are significant. The commitment of the average Congressman to the party and its ideals leaves much to be desired. Shivakumar’s promise to recognise booth-level workers may go a long way in reviving the party.

Shivakumar is a go-getter who has for long been the trouble-shooter of the Congress, and the Karnataka BJP, which too has become lifeless, cannot be complacent. The Yediyurappa government has lost much of its sheen, mainly due to the evident unpreparedness in handling the sharp increase in Covid-19 cases, thereby negating the initial gains. While Yediyurappa remains firmly in the saddle for now, a succession war has broken out in the shadows, with some ministers and party leaders working at cross-purposes to discredit the chief minister and show him in poor light. Meanwhile, state party president Nalin Kumar Kateel seems to have failed to inspire confidence in the cadres. As the state passes through the coronavirus crisis and then begins to face the reality of its finances, the going may get tougher for the government and the ruling party.

Shivakumar has his task cut out: to bring Congress to power in the state. If that happens, he would be the natural choice to be chief minister, a dream he has long cherished. The stakes are high for him and the party. Thus, it is important that he makes himself more acceptable within his own party and to the people at large. In addition, he should not only rid the KPCC of undesirable elements who are deeply entrenched, but should surround himself with people of integrity and character who are aligned with the goals and principles of the party and not guided by purely selfish motives. But first, he should emerge as a team player and team builder.