Yathindra Siddaramaiah<\/a>, has perfected an art his party could do without\u2014the art of putting both his father and the Congress on the backfoot.<\/p>\nAt a time when the Congress has been working overtime to manufacture the optics of unity through carefully curated, widely publicised in the media, breakfast meetings between Siddaramaiah and his Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, it is Yathindra who has been consistently undoing that narrative. One remark at a time.<\/p>\n
Just when Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar began chanting the \u201call is well” and \u201cwe leave it to the high command” mantra\u2014smiling for the cameras over idlis, uppittu, and naati-koli saru\u2014Yathindra once again stepped into the political minefield.<\/p>\n
His latest statement is that his father will complete the full five-year term as Chief Minister, and the Congress high command has not taken any decision on leadership change. He even added that the opposition was \u201cdreaming” of a change in CM.<\/p>\n
The problem for Congress is not merely what he said but how often he keeps saying it. Each time the leadership tussle narrative quietens, Yathindra revives it with a new quote, a fresh angle, another unsolicited clarification.<\/p>\n
His remarks land like political grenades\u2014forcing the Congress to scramble, Shivakumar to explain, and Siddaramaiah to defend. And all this at a moment when the party is desperate to project stability going into a tough legislative session and a turbulent national political climate.<\/p>\n
The Congress high command has tried hard to bury the perception of a cold war between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. Two publicised breakfast meetings were supposed to signal a united house. Yet the political chatter has only grown louder, thanks largely to Yathindra\u2019s loose and recurring commentary.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was no power tussle\u2026 it was all created by the opposition. DK Shivakumar has asked for an opportunity. The high command said there is no situation to change the leadership,” Yathindra told reporters.<\/p>\n
But there have been veiled remarks by Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar as well after their breakfast truce meetings.<\/p>\n
And if the Congress believed its choreographed breakfast meetings had successfully stitched together a peace between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, the events in Hassan on December 7 proved otherwise. The truce, it seems, barely lasted the length of that meal.<\/p>\n
Sharing the stage at a government function, both leaders attempted the familiar optics of unity. But their words betrayed a different story\u2014one of simmering tension, coded warnings, and unmistakable political signalling.<\/p>\n
Shivakumar went first, slipping in a set of remarks that were anything but casual. \u201cWe should prepare for a change in the state in the coming days to give new strength and shape,” he said, a line that instantly set off political antennae. He continued in a philosophical tone, \u201cOur lives are not permanent; what we leave behind is permanent. God doesn\u2019t give curses or blessings; he gives opportunities. What we do with those opportunities is important.”<\/p>\n
In a political season defined by whispers of a \u201cword given” to Shivakumar, his next line was particularly loaded: \u201cOur word must be measured, and work should be of utmost importance.”<\/p>\n
Minutes later, Siddaramaiah took the stage\u2014and responded: \u201cI usually don\u2019t promise,” he said, his voice carrying its own edge. \u201cBut when I do, I will always act according to it. If there is ever a government that has acted according to promises given, it is our government.”<\/p>\n
In the context of a supposed 30-month power-sharing pact that the high command refuses to confirm or deny, the message was unmistakable. Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were united in this\u2014they were reminding the party high command in Delhi.<\/p>\n
Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh, known to be a close confidant of Siddaramaiah, had also commented carefully, saying the question of whether Siddaramaiah would stay for five years was \u201ca matter left to the high command”.<\/p>\n
Shivakumar, for his part, attempted zen-like restraint\u2014\u201cI am very happy; let good things happen for the state\u2026 let good things happen.”<\/p>\n
But even these controlled responses could not match the impact of the repeated commentary coming from the CM\u2019s home turf\u2014his own son.<\/p>\n
However, the opposition smelled blood, and predictably, the BJP seized the moment.<\/p>\n
Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka delivered a scathing attack: \u201cThe State Government is paralysed. Karnataka\u2019s governance is frozen. The Congress high command is busy managing egos instead of managing the state.”<\/p>\n
He mocked the orchestrated unity photo-ops, calling them \u201cforced breakfast meetings, staged smiles, and scripted optics”. He even asked the question that has now become politically unavoidable: \u201cIs Yathindra Siddaramaiah the new High Command of the Congress party?”<\/p>\n
For the BJP, months of internal Congress disquiet have suddenly aligned into a single, easy narrative: a government distracted, a leadership divided, and a young MLC who keeps tossing his party into turbulence.<\/p>\n
What makes Yathindra\u2019s most recent statement politically combustible is that it comes after months of erratic and contradictory comments. In September, he said there was \u201cno reason” to change the Chief Minister. In October, he spoke of Satish Jarkiholi as his father\u2019s \u201cideological successor”, sparking a political storm.<\/p>\n
He later claimed he was referring only to ideological guidance, not the CM\u2019s chair, forcing Siddaramaiah himself to clarify that his son\u2019s comments had been \u201ctwisted”. Through November, he reiterated multiple times that his father would complete five years, that there was no power-sharing deal, that \u201cthere were no complaints or scams”, and that the high command had not discussed any leadership change.<\/p>\n
Each of these remarks triggered a new cycle of speculation within the Congress, with ministers scrambling to offer spin and Shivakumar patiently reminding everyone that he had \u201cno differences with the Chief Minister”.<\/p>\n
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also stepped in to defend his son\u2014a move that only added to the heat around the leadership issue. Siddaramaiah said Yathindra\u2019s comments on a possible change of guard had been \u201ctwisted”, claiming his son had spoken under pressure from reporters.<\/p>\n
Insiders to the Chief Minister said Siddaramaiah had personally asked Yathindra to clarify what he meant. Yathindra explained that he was speaking purely on \u201cideology”, not politics.<\/p>\n
But the attempt to explain away the remarks has done little to calm the ongoing churn within the Congress. Instead of closing the matter, the father-son defence only pushed the conversation further inside the party.<\/p>\n
Within the party, irritation has begun to surface. Some Congress MLAs have openly demanded disciplinary action against Yathindra, pointing out that others were issued notices for far milder comments.<\/p>\n
Channagiri MLA Basavaraj Shivaganga, a close associate of DKS, said, \u201cI have been given a notice for my remarks regarding the Chief Minister\u2019s post. The party should take the statement made by Dr Yathindra seriously. Appropriate action should be taken.”<\/p>\n
Ramanagara MLA Iqbal Hussain and Sagar MLA Beluru Gopalakrishna, also known to be part of the DKS faction, also sought action, like they were served notices when they made comments.<\/p>\n
DK Shivakumar, also holding the position of Karnataka state Congress president, responded with a sharp warning to his own flock: \u201cParty discipline is the priority.”<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the high command has quietly gathered inputs from the KPCC about the development and public utterances. Yet, conspicuously, Yathindra has not received a show-cause notice, unlike other MLAs.<\/p>\n
Yathindra\u2019s October statement elevating Satish Jarkiholi as his father\u2019s ideological successor has had an unintended political consequence\u2014it has energised a section of Dalit leadership within the Congress.<\/p>\n
A mega Dalit convention is also on the cards, supported by heavyweights like Jarkiholi, HC Mahadevappa, G Parameshwara and KH Muniyappa. Their message is unmistakable: if leadership changes are contemplated, the next Chief Minister should be a Dalit. This emerging Dalit consolidation is not just a show of support for Siddaramaiah\u2014it is a direct signal to the high command that leadership equations in Karnataka cannot revolve around only two Vokkaliga and Kuruba power centres.<\/p>\n
Shivakumar is clearly caught in a political paradox.<\/p>\n
Yathindra\u2019s repeated declarations that Siddaramaiah will remain CM for five years reduce his room for manoeuvre. At the same time, attacking the CM\u2019s son would be politically disastrous.<\/p>\n
Shivakumar\u2019s cryptic X post\u2014\u201cword power is world power”\u2014added to the intrigue. Yathindra, when asked about it, politely said he did not know the context.<\/p>\n
Yet within the DKS camp, anxiety is palpable. Many fear that if the high command freezes the leadership issue now, the opportunity may slip away not only this year but even in 2028.<\/p>\n
Every time Congress tries to shut down the conversation on leadership, Yathindra inadvertently restarts it. His remarks keep the pot boiling, the opposition energised, and the party internally restless.<\/p>\n
For Siddaramaiah, the political irony is painful: it is not the BJP, not the opposition, not even his traditional rivals, but his own son who has repeatedly pushed him into political tight corners.<\/p>\n
The \u200b Congress also must confront an uncomfortable truth: unity optics can only go so far when its biggest destabiliser comes from within the family.<\/p>\n
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