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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s upcoming rally in Hassan on December 5 has undergone a dramatic transformation from a personal show of strength to a Congress-endorsed event.
Initially planned as the Swabhimani Samavesha” by his supporters, the event has been renamed “Jana Kalyana Samavesha” following intervention from the All India Congress Committee (AICC).
The shift came after an anonymous letter to AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge highlighted concerns that the rally, organised independently by Siddaramaiah’s faction, risked promoting “hero worship” and undermining the party’s collective identity.
Responding to the AICC’s direction that the program be held under the Congress banner,
Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President DK Shivakumar speaking exclusively to IndiaToday, said: “The Congress is a very big party with a long history. They might be doing their work, but they can join us; there is no question of us joining any institution.”
He further said, “The Congress Party made it clear: if I, as the party president, have to participate in the event, it must be under our banner. If my Chief Minister has to participate in the event, it must also be under the Congress banner. We made this clear, they agreed, and I will be presiding over the meeting.”
Siddaramaiah’s supporters had envisioned the rally as a platform to consolidate his base among Ahinda (minorities, backward classes, and Dalits) voters in Hassan, a JD(S) stronghold.
However, the event’s transformation into a Congress program has upset ministers loyal to the Chief Minister. The Siddaramaiah faction reportedly skipped a meeting chaired by DK Shivakumar on Sunday.
The Deputy Chief Minister downplaying the issue, said, “It’s not like that. They were already working, and I took them along with me for the meeting. No one is just a DK Shivakumar supporter or a Siddaramaiah supporter, everyone is a Congress supporter.”
As the event approaches, both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar are keen to project unity, with invitations extended to top Congress leaders, including Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Randeep Surjewala. Whether this rally succeeds in bolstering the Congress’ image as a cohesive force remains to be seen.
