KPCC to celebrate 75th birthday of Siddaramaiah on Aug 3
Former chief minister Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru: What was touted to be a private function is now stated to be a party function. Yes, the Congress leadership in the State has made amends to its earlier stand over-celebrating 75th birthday celebrations of opposition leader S Siddaramiah as the party function.
State Congress chief DK Shivakumar has clarified that the function on August 3 to be organised at Davanagere will be held on the party platform.
The fact that Congress MP from Waynad and former AICC president Rahul Gandhi is going to attend the function, has changed the tenor of the function. "Siddaramanna is our leader and is the leader of the opposition party in the State Assembly which makes the milestone of his achieving 75th year fit for the party tag. It is official," said Shivakumar. A meeting for arranging the function is being organised at palace grounds on July 13 which will be attended by leaders of the Congress from all parts of the state.
Why Davanagere? When asked Shivakumar stated that the Congress workers from Davanagere proposed it first, "so they get the honour of holding it in their city. But in this endeavour the entire party machinery will work as one" he added.
Earlier in the week, this was not the tone. "Some people close to him have organised it, it was not the party fare, I personally do not believe in personality cult but I am a firm believer in collective responsibility on the party platform".
But political observers and academics in the party point out that Shivakumar is now apprehensive about the turn of events if the party did not take part in the celebrations of Siddaramiah's 75th birthday. Without his (Shivakumar's) involvement who is the chief of the Congress in the state, it could have been a show of strength of Siddramaiah alone, who is now eyeing the CM's post if the Congress came to power in 2023. With Shivakumar throwing his hat into the ring some degree of success in the event might be accredited to Shivakumar. And what is more important in the entire episode is that it will all happen under the watchful eyes of Rahul Gandhi and if things go well also Sonia Gandhi.