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Journalism of Courage
AS THE first non-Gandhi Congress president in 20-plus years, Mallikarjun Kharge can never escape scrutiny nor expect less than a tightrope walk in a crisis. Many in the party admit they were sceptical about his ability to take the decisions expected of him while avoiding the slightest of frictions with the Gandhi family.
Kharge may be past that bump now.
On Thursday, he deftly steered the Congress past the leadership tussle that threatened to smear its fairytale victory in Karnataka. And this was the second time the veteran had managed to balance contrasting egos after Himachal – where the peace has prevailed — thus proving he is his own man, as well as confident enough to take the counsel of the Gandhis, especially Sonia and Rahul, when needed.
Much maligned over the incessant decline of the Congress – blamed on their tight control of its reins — the Gandhis too have gone out of their way to give a free hand to Kharge, and not let any signal go out that he is a rubber stamp president. During the Karnataka post-poll crisis, for example, while Sonia and Priyanka effectively removed themselves from the picture – and hence as power centres — by timing a Shimla trip coinciding with the hard Delhi negotiations, it was Rahul who went to Kharge’s house for the talks rather than the other way around.
Before the photo-op of him on Thursday, holding up the hands of D K Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah to mark the Karnataka breakthrough, too, a new Kharge had been coming to the fore. Having already proved himself a combative Opposition leader in Parliament, Kharge carried out an aggressive campaign in his home state Karnataka in the recent polls, camping there for a month, travelling across the state notwithstanding his age, proved a powerful orator, gave back to the BJP as good as he got, a faux pas here and there apart, and now, has also shown himself to be a consensus builder.
Earlier, it was to Kharge’s residence that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav came calling as part of their united Opposition mission, with Rahul present. In March, it was Kharge again who hosted a dinner for Opposition leaders at his residence, with Sonia and Rahul in attendance.
For Kharge, the Karnataka resolution is a bittersweet moment. A long-time Congress leader of the state, he has been thrice in the race for the CM’s post in the state and lost each time. One of those he lost out to, in 2013, was Siddaramaiah, the very man whom he picked as CM Thursday, despite the rivalry between them. To old-timers like Kharge, Siddaramaiah remains an “outsider”, having joined the Congress only in 2008.
Kharge is also believed to have a soft corner for Siddaramaiah’s rival Shivakumar. Some say he sees his reflection in Shivakumar, a fighter who has risen through the ranks.
However, Kharge did not allow either their past or his personal equations to come in the way of selection of CM. It was he who oversaw the negotiations with the two Karnataka competitors, and it was he who is said to have brought Shivakumar around. Rahul purposefully did not meet either of the Karnataka leaders before first calling on Kharge at his 10, Rajaji Marg, residence, though of course the Gandhis were kept in the loop every step of the way.
With Rahul’s free hand, Kharge played strictly by the book — getting the newly elected MLAs to pass a one-line resolution authorising the Congress president to appoint the CLP leader, and then holding a poll to know their choice and sense of the House.
Armed with that, he led the consultations in a calm manner without giving into pressure tactics or muscle flexing. He sought the opinion / advice of both Sonia and Rahul — both former Congress presidents – before finally managing to convince Shivakumar into accepting the Deputy CM’s post.
“At no point of time, he appeared tense. He neither gave an ultimatum nor spoke in harsh tones. In fact, all along the mood was cordial and in fact jovial,” one leader said.
Talking to The Indian Express, AICC in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala hinted that Kharge was clear that one person should not be allowed to become the sole power centre.
Kharge is conversant with the intricacies of the state, Surjewala added. “Based on his own experience and knowledge of public life, and the fact that he has served the state for over five decades, he decided that both Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah need to be given responsibility, instead of any one… So it is never an either/ or choice, but one where both contributed. We wanted a team of 11, not a team of one, to run the state,” he said.
