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At the AICC session, Rahul Gandhi praised Telangana’s work on the caste census 12 times while avoiding any mention of Karnataka, sending a strong signal to the state’s warring Congress leaders
Rahul Gandhi’s silence on Karnataka at the session may just widen the gap between the Chief Minister and his deputy. (Image/PTI)
At the two-day AICC session in Ahmedabad, it came as no surprise that Rahul Gandhi chose to anchor his speech around the issue closest to his heart — the caste census. But what turned heads was the Congress leader’s repeated praise for the Telangana government — not once, not twice, but 12 times — while making no mention of his party’s own government in Karnataka.
The omission was striking. It was during the Karnataka elections that the caste census issue was officially made part of the Congress manifesto. After the party chose Siddaramaiah over DK Shivakumar as Chief Minister, the fissures between the two leaders became apparent. The Congress was left embarrassed when the 2015 caste survey report was not made public. While the Chief Minister was seen as edgy and wishy-washy about the issue, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar was forthright in saying the report should be tabled soon to show the BJP that the Congress meant business.
At the AICC session, as Rahul Gandhi made a strong pitch for the Telangana government’s stand on the caste census, it was clear that he was pleased with Revanth Reddy for walking the talk and fulfilling his expectations on the issue. Gandhi spoke about the work done by the Telangana government 12 times, stressing that in the state, backward classes and Dalits would not be denied opportunities.
By not mentioning Karnataka even once, the message to the warring leaders of the state was clear — Rahul Gandhi was unhappy with the state of affairs over the census, and more so with the Chief Minister for not releasing the report. Under pressure, the Karnataka government could make the survey public soon, but the underlying reality is hard to miss. Political compulsions may offer Siddaramaiah a temporary reprieve, but DK Shivakumar and his supporters are growing restless.
Rahul Gandhi’s silence on Karnataka at the session may just widen the gap between the Chief Minister and his deputy. This leaves an important question open: will there be a change of leadership in the state? With caste census being the key to Rahul Gandhi’s heart, the answer may well depend on how the situation unfolds.
