Karnataka Congress chief’s MP-brother DK Suresh expresses concern over personality cult in party

Bengaluru: Congress MP D K Suresh on Thursday expressed concern over the personality cult in the party at the preparatory meet for senior leader Siddaramaiah’s 75th birthday bash, and cautioned that it should not send out a ”wrong message” ahead of Assembly polls next year.

He sought to assert that the bash is not an event to project someone or to give leadership to someone.

Suresh is the brother of Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar, who is a Chief Ministerial aspirant along with Siddaramaiah, in the event of the party coming to power.

”This (birthday bash) is seen as one to project Siddaramaiah or personality cult, not sure if Siddaramaiah himself wants this, but some people continue to do it,” Suresh said.

Addressing a gathering of Congress leaders and workers at the preparatory meet, he said, ”It’s an election year, so we must see to it that the celebration does not damage the party, especially by sending out a wrong message to our workers and society,” he said.

Siddaramaiah’s supporters and well-wishers, including several senior Congress leaders and former ministers, are organising a massive convention at Davangere on August 3, which is also being seen as a show of strength by the former Chief Minister’s camp as he turns 75. Party’s national leader Rahul Gandhi is expected to attend.

Other than projecting Siddaramaiah and his contributions, the bash is also being seen as an attempt by his camp to send a message to both the high command and his detractors within the party, ahead of polls, while consolidating his ‘AHINDA’ vote base.

AHINDA is a Kannada acronym that stands for ‘Alpasankhyataru’ (minorities), ‘Hindulidavaru’ (Backward Classes) and ‘Dalitaru’ (Dalits).

Suresh said that in his opinion it would be appropriate to have Siddaramaiah’s birthday bash together with celebrations to mark 75 years of India’s Independence, adding that this is not an event to project someone or to confer leadership on someone.

”Whether we like it or not, the media is projecting this event as ‘Siddaramotsava’, so denying it will not benefit, we have to accept it…we should proudly say we are celebrating our leader’s birthday,” he added.

Siddaramaiah has been repeatedly trying to correct that the birthday is not ‘Siddaramotsava’, and it is ‘Siddaramaiah-75 Amrut Mahotsava’.

Earlier in the day, Shivakumar said he doesn’t want anyone to worship him, but to worship the party and the country.

The KPCC chief was responding to a question on the demand by some of his supporters to celebrate ”Shivakumarotsava” to observe his birthday, on the lines of the one planned for Siddaramaiah.

”I don’t want any ‘utsava’ for me, I want a party’s ‘utsava’,” he said.

Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have been nursing chief ministerial ambitions and are also working towards consolidating their clout within the State Congress, ahead of the polls next year.

There have been several instances of open display of one-upmanship between the two leaders in the past.