• Source:JND
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Karnataka Power Tussle: Amid a stir over the Congress leadership in Karnataka, NDTV, quoting grand old party sources, reported that state Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's job is safe as he holds numbers. The Congress sources told NDTV that 100 of the party's 137 MLAs are in his support and the Ahinda communities also back him.

Caste Groups Rally Behind Siddaramaiah

Meanwhile, caste groups backing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar threw their weight behind them, with one warning Congress against unseating the incumbent CM while the other community strongly batted for Shivakumar's elevation.

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While an Ahinda (a Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalit communities) group warned the Congress of implications if Siddaramaiah was forced to make way for his deputy, a Vokkaliga body said no injustice should be meted out to Shivakumar. The AHINDA is Siddaramaiah's core constituency, while Shivakumar, also the Congress state president, belongs to the dominant agrarian community of Vokkaligas that has seen Kengal Hanumanthaiah, KC Reddy, HD Deve Gowda, SM Krishna, Sadananda Gowda and H D Kumaraswamy occupy the state's top post.

Karnataka Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha warned the Congress high command that it will fight vehemently if injustice happens Shivakumar, who is aspiring to become CM.

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On the other hand, the Karnataka State Federation of Backward Class Communities (KSFBCC) backed Siddaramaiah. Any attempt to unseat the veteran leader will have a bearing on the party, it said. KSFBCC president K M Ramachandrappa said AHINDA is deeply pained to see the developments taking place. He said even religious heads are participating in this discussion and are threatening that they will also be part of the chorus seeking the removal of Siddaramaiah.

"These threats are not new ones but have been happening for very long time. Since independence, it has been happening. We, the downtrodden community, will not bow down to these threats". "If the pontiffs and the Vokkaliga Sangha are ready to stage agitation, then we will also not leave our leader. The 70 per cent population of AHINDA communities had offered support to this government. We will not tolerate attempts to bring down a leader from the AHINDA community," Ramachandrappa said.

"Don't Want Anything, Party Will Make Decision": DK Shivakumar

Meanwhile, in a fresh twist, Shivakumar, who posted cryptic 'power of words' tweet, reiterated that he does not want to rush into things and that the party high command will take a decision on the CM post.

When asked about his meeting with spiritual leader Nanjavadutha Swamiji of the Vokkaliga community amid the power tussle, Shivakumar said Congress is his community, and he looks at all the communities in the state equally.

The Deputy CM told reporters, "I don't want anything. I am not hurrying anything. My party will make the decision. I don't want any community angle. Congress is my community, and my love is for all sections of society."

While there is speculation of the Congress high command meeting to take a decision on the CM post, instead, Shivakumar said that he will visit Delhi to keep Karnataka's farmer issues ahead of the Winter Session of the Parliament.

(With PTI inputs)

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