“He (Rajiv) goes to the airport and is requested a particular query about Veerendra Patil, and he says he’s unwell and that he might be changed. It was very indiscreet and brash,” impartial journalist and creator Sugata Srinivasaraju informed ThePrint.

The unilateral choice to exchange considered one of Karnataka’s hottest chief ministers and Lingayat leaders was seen as a end result of a protracted bitterness in direction of Patil.

He had sided with former chief minister S. Nijalingappa within the 1969 Congress break up, siding with the ‘O’ faction in opposition to Indira Gandhi’s ‘I’ bloc. Patil unsuccessfully contested in opposition to Indira within the 1978 Chikmagalur parliamentary byelections. He returned to Congress (I) in 1980 when Indira returned to energy on the centre.

The CM, in the meantime, expressed unhappiness on the excessive command’s nominees to his authorities, delaying the cupboard enlargement. Patil remained defiant, publicly stating that he wouldn’t give up and within the course of, locking horns with the omnipotent Congress excessive command.

It was reported on the time that Rajiv known as for a Congress Legislature Occasion (CLP) assembly on 10 October, defying the rule that solely a CM may convene it. One other model is that he informed Patil to carry a CLP the place a brand new CM could be elected.

Both manner, Patil refused to convene the CLP. Then Governor Bhanu Pratap Singh mentioned he wouldn’t recognise the validity of a CLP with out the CM. On 10 October, the day when a brand new CM was to be elected, the President’s Rule was imposed on Karnataka for a second time between April 1989 and October 1990.

The Veerendra Patil story is without doubt one of the many involving chief ministers and their tussle with the social gathering in Karnataka’s political historical past. The most recent tussle between CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy D.Ok. Shivakumar is taking part in out a bit in another way, although.

For one, then Congress excessive command is wanting helpless. “I’ve not requested to be CM. It’s a secret deal between 5 and 6 of us,” Shivakumar informed reporters, lending credence to the talks that after the 2023 Karnataka elections, the excessive command arrived at an settlement for rotational chief ministership, with Siddaramaiah making manner for his deputy after two-and-a-half years in workplace. That deadline was accomplished 20 November.

Siddaramaiah isn’t inclined to step down, although. In Patil’s case, then Congress president Rajiv Gandhi had his manner, with MLAs standing with the excessive command. The Congress excessive command is way weakened at the moment and cautious of Siddaramaiah, a preferred OBC chief having fun with the help of numerous MLAs.

With the BJP all the time able to fish within the troubled waters, the Congress excessive command doesn’t need to threat the federal government’s stability. For now, Siddaramaiah, DK and the excessive command are all retaining their playing cards near their chest.

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Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar & revolving chairs

Congress’s S. Bangarappa had changed Patil because the CM when the President’s Rule was lifted per week later in October 1990. Two years later, Bangarappa resigned on account of piling corruption allegations, making manner for Veerappa Moily who served until December 1994.

The identical 12 months, one other long-drawn rivalry was revived between Janata Occasion’s H.D.Deve Gowda and Ramakrishna Hegde. The 2 stalwarts of Karnataka’s politics had one of many longest operating feuds on the time.

However theirs is just not the one such animosity that lends to Karnataka’s risky political local weather. One cause is the frequency of fractured mandates that has turn into the norm in Karnataka, forcing unsustainable alliances.

Of the 23 leaders who grew to become chief ministers, solely S. Nijalingappa (1962-68), D. Devaraj Urs (1972-77) and Siddaramaiah (2013-2018) accomplished a full time period in workplace.

Transition of energy has not all the time been easy since a minimum of the Eighties whether or not it was the battle between Indira and Urs, Hegde’s three phrases in simply 5 years, defections throughout S.R. Bommai’s rule, B.S. Yediyurappa’s battle with H.D. Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal (Secular), or the Bharatiya Janata Occasion (BJP) excessive command.

Siddaramaiah was the primary in over 45 years since Urs to finish a full time period in workplace. Although he accomplished his first time period nearly unchallenged, the 77-year-old’s second time period has not been as easy with Shivakumar staking a declare.

A.Narayana, political analyst and college at Azim Premji College, mentioned that the continuing tussle is one probably the most “dignified” in Karnataka’s in any other case turbulent political historical past.

“Everytime there was a problem to the CM’s submit, it has been soiled. However this time the 2 leaders, their households and supporters have maintained a dignity that has not been seen for a very long time in Karnataka,” he informed ThePrint.

 

Three-horse race

In mid-1983, there was a heated dialogue within the then Janata Occasion workplace at Bengaluru’s Race Court docket on who amongst Bommai, Bangarappa and Deve Gowda ought to take over as the subsequent chief minister. The landline rang and the decision got here from Chandra Shekar, the then social gathering president, who was in Salem, Tamil Nadu, on the time enterprise a ‘padayatra’ (foot march).

Congress state vice-president B.L.Shankar, then a younger Janata Occasion employee, picked up the telephone and was instructed to cross on the telephone to Deve Gowda.

Chandra Shekhar requested Gowda to counsel Hegde’s title and he complied with out protest. Gowda even convened a gathering of Vokkaliga MLAs in Cubbon Park to mobilise consensus.

Shankar recalled that he accompanied Gowda to Hegde’s residence and conveyed the information. At first, Hegde was reluctant since he had not even contested the polls, however agreed if everybody was on board. The following day, Gowda approached Bangarappa to convey the choice.

“Bangarappa flatly refused. He mentioned that solely Deve Gowda, Bommai or him might be contenders and never an outsider. However as quickly as they walked out, Bangarappa’s supporters roughed up Gowda, tearing his garments,” Shankar mentioned.

Later, Bangarappa broke away from the alliance.

One other such scenario arose in 1994, when the Janata Dal gained 115 seats out of the 221 it contested within the 1994 meeting elections. However, there was no consensus on the subsequent CM.

Hegde, who was chief minister thrice between January 1983 and August 1998, staked his declare. Having conceded the CM submit in 1983, Deve Gowda was in no temper to entertain one other problem, particularly from his archrival.

Senior leaders Biju Patnaik and Viren Shah have been deployed as observers.

“Hegde wished to proceed as CM. However a giant battle broke out. Supporters of Deve Gowda entered the Vidhana Soudha, manhandled Hegde and his supporters,” Shankar informed ThePrint.

Gowda gained this bout, and Shankar served because the CM’s political secretary between 1995 and 1996.

The 2 heavyweights fought and made up a number of instances—the best level was in 1983 when Deve Gowda backed Hegde for the submit of CM and the bottom when the latter known as the previous “unworthy” of turning into the prime minister.

Srinivasaraju, creator of ‘Furrows in a Discipline: The Unexplored Lifetime of H.D. Deve Gowda,’ has devoted a whole chapter to this legendary rivalry. “Even seventeen years after Hegde’s demise (2004), if there’s something that animates Gowda’s conversations, monologues and victimhood, navigates his impulses and judgments and is a touchstone to reckon his life’s good and dangerous moments, it’s the reminiscence of Hegde,” Srinivasraju writes.

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‘Prism of excessive command’

Final week, Shivakumar backed down—a minimum of quickly—after he was requested to take action by the social gathering excessive command. He had spent days in Delhi, making an attempt to get the social gathering brass to maintain its promise and make him the CM.

The excessive command of each political events, analysts mentioned, should be seen by way of the prism of the time they led the social gathering.

In 1979, Urs and Indira grew aside with the previous drifting away and being a part of the brand new Congress (S) faction. Urs got here a distant third within the 1980 Lok Sabha elections and resigned, making manner for Gundu Rao, who shared a very good rapport with Sanjay Gandhi.

Nineteen Seventies :: Karnataka Chief Minister Devaraj Urs With Indira Gandhi at Dharmasthala pic.twitter.com/9RtTydQlk0

— indianhistorypics (@IndiaHistorypic) April 16, 2023

The argument is that there have been various outcomes which fluctuated with how {powerful} the excessive command is on the time. Although S.M.Krishna (1999-2004) had a comparatively easy time period, he went in opposition to the recommendation of MLAs and known as for early election in 2004.

The Congress then stitched an alliance with the newly fashioned JD(S) led by Deve Gowda. Barely two years on, Deve Gowda’s son Kumaraswamy joined fingers with the B.S.Yediyurappa-led BJP with an settlement to take turns to be CM. In November 2007, he handed over the CM’s chair to Yediyurappa solely to drag out help in only a week.

In 2008, Yediyurappa fashioned the primary ever BJP authorities within the south, although not with a majority, and with allegations of horse buying and selling. He was pressured to resign after insurgent minister Gali Janardhana Reddy took away MLAs to a resort. In got here D.V.Sadananda Gowda, who was then pressured to give up simply barely a 12 months into workplace and changed by Jagadish Shettar.

This was adopted by a comparatively undisturbed 5 years for Siddaramaiah.

The Congress fell brief in 2018 and joined fingers with the JD(S) to maintain the BJP, the one largest social gathering, out of energy. Kumaraswamy grew to become the CM. Barely 14 months on, cracks began appearing after the BJP’s landslide victory in 2019 when it gained an unprecedented 25 out of the 28 parliamentary seats.

Over the subsequent couple of months, 17 MLAs give up the Congress-JD(S) authorities, defected to the BJP and helped Yediyurappa type the federal government. However, this too was short-lived when the Lingayat strongman was changed by Basavaraj Bommai in 2021.

The continuing Congress tussle, Srinivasraju mentioned, is dignified solely in its packaging.

“It may very well be the worst. Karnataka’s political tradition even when there have been claimants and counter-claimants was not as worse as it’s at the moment. In the present day, it’s pen drives (learn, sleaze movies) and cash that settles politics. Within the time of Devaraj Urs, Hegde, Deve Gowda or Nijalingappa’s time, that was not the case,” the creator mentioned.

Karnataka politicians are among the many richest as new cash started to stream with Bengaluru’s rising actual property, changing beliefs with capital, he mentioned. “So, it isn’t dignified. If in any respect it’s something, it’s mafioso fashion now the place you don’t even know who’s hitting whom the place. The sport has simply begun.”

(Edited by Tony Rai)

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