How CM Siddaramaiah's grip on his govt is weakening as dissent within Karnataka Congress grows

The Print

5 hours ago

'Even though I am an MLA, I haven't been able to build a drain, construct a road or a good school in my constituency,' N.Y. Gopalakrishna, the Congress MLA from Molakalmuru, said at a public event Monday.
Among those who have spoken out are Raju Kage, B.R. Patil, N.Y. Gopalakrishna and MLC Belur Gopalakrishna. The leaders have levelled serious allegations against the government, ranging from poor governance to lack of development funds. Even home minister G. Parameshwara mentioned at a public event in Badami that the state government has no money.
Bengaluru: All is not well in Karnataka's Congress-led government. Five Congress legislators have publicly criticised their own party's government led by Siddaramaiah, raising concerns that the chief minister may be staring at the possibility of a full-blown implosion under his watch.
The sentiment is shared by other Congress leaders who have complained, sometimes in public forums, about the lack of funds and their inability to announce any new developmental projects in their constituencies.
Over the past 2 years, several Congress legislators have expressed frustration that the five guarantees alone cannot pass for development when many other critical demands remain unfulfilled.
Siddaramaiah has completed 2 years in power but is fighting to retain his chair for the remainder of the term with his deputy, D.K. Shivakumar, looking to replace him.
Already cornered over increasing corruption, price hikes to offset the cost of welfare guarantees, communal tensions and events like the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede, Siddaramaiah appears to be operating under a shadow of uncertainty and is not in full control of the government, analysts and political leaders say.
'Our administration is not proper, nor is there any control over them. If the head of the department is good, then all else will fall in line,' Kage told reporters Tuesday, making a tacit reference to the CM.
The five-time MLA clarified that he had made no allegations against Siddaramaiah nor named any ministers but the administration in general.
Also Read: With Chamarajanagar Cabinet meet, Siddaramaiah treads where few other Karnataka CMs have dared to go
'Will give Rs 50 crore to all legislators'
Siddaramaiah travelled to Delhi Tuesday and met with President Droupadi Murmu to get her assent for at least seven bills.
He also met with AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, and other leaders.
Siddaramaiah has been to Delhi quite frequently this month as the party high command has summoned him to get updates on various issues, including the Chinnaswamy stadium stampede and scrapping the caste census.
On Tuesday, his economic advisor spoke to the media in Delhi on behalf of Siddaramaiah.
'As you know, there were some problems we had with finance. It's not only because of guarantees but also because the previous BJP government had left a lot of work for us. This year, we may be in a position to give money to legislators. The CM, from July, will give each legislator, including opposition MLAs, Rs 50 crore special grant,' Basavaraj Rayareddi, MLA and economic advisor to the CM, told reporters.
In July last year, Rayareddi himself had said in a public programme that the government had no money for any development works.
Siddaramaiah has often accused the Centre of consistently denying Karnataka its rightful share in the devolution pool and other grants to the state, forcing it to rely on raising debt to fund infrastructure projects and other works.
Reduction in capital inflows from the Centre has been Siddaramaiah's go-to reasoning each time he is confronted with questions over rising excise, stamp duties, duty on fuels or any other commodity or service.
But it's his style of governance that has come into question this time around, according to analysts who say the 76-year-old has lacked focus and is a pale shadow of his first term in office.
Harish Ramaswamy, a Mysuru-based political analyst and former VC of Raichur University, said that there is a certain 'callousness' with which Siddaramaiah has been functioning.
'This term, Siddaramaiah appears to have lost interest. As a leader, he does not have a grasp over many things,' Ramaswamy said, adding that the CM cannot sit through meetings and has very little patience, mostly due to his age.
Siddaramaiah has played the backward classes card to thwart any attempts to replace him as CM, identified as a pious Hindu and even played the victim of illegal encroachment of land by a government agency, Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), which analysts say is not very typical of the leader.
He also does not have the same level of freedom he had between 2013-18 when he took decisions first, which were then ratified by the party high command and even kept D.K. Shivakumar out of the cabinet.
But this time around, the high command has had its way on issues like scrapping the caste census and giving Shivakumar more powers.
Even though Siddaramaiah enjoys the loyalty of a sizeable number of legislators, he has made amends with detractors, a quality he was not known to possess.
Analysts say this term has seen more charges of corruption and questioning of his administration.
'Corruption has been there for ages but why is it coming out now? MLAs do not have any other way of expressing their dissatisfaction and believe that when they do this, the media carries this information to the top level,' he said.
Ramaswamy says that if Siddaramaiah continues to be dismissive of the growing dissent, the problem is only likely to grow.
Also Read: How beleaguered Siddaramaiah is using three-pronged strategy to counter MUDA 'scam' charges
'Guarantees are a death sentence'
The BJP in Karnataka has continued to play on videos of Congress MLAs accusing the Siddaramaiah government of corruption or airing their concerns in public on a loop.
The BJP and its ally, Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S), have kept pressure on the government on various platforms, including holding protests across the state.
'The 'guarantee' trap isn't just a trap; it's a DEATH SENTENCE for Karnataka's development and finances! Karnataka's coffers are being drained dry under the weight of 'guarantees,' leaving a trail of zero development and a looming fiscal nightmare. While grand promises are made, critical projects across departments are stalled, and whispers of corruption turn into loud alarms….,' R. Ashoka, the leader of the opposition, said in a post Tuesday.
The 'guarantee' trap isn't just a trap; it's a DEATH SENTENCE for Karnataka's development and finances!
Karnataka's coffers are being drained
dry under the weight of 'guarantees,' leaving a trail of zero development and a looming fiscal nightmare.
While grand promises are… pic.twitter.com/PhuzPeEKi8
— R. Ashoka (@RAshokaBJP) June 24, 2025
The CM has been blaming the union government for revenue shortfalls and Karnataka's growing fund crunch. But party legislators say the problem isn't just money but also the government's attitude towards its own.
Kage accused ministers of being inaccessible even to MLAs and being arrogant to the extent that they didn't even acknowledge elected representatives.
'Ministers should be accessible. We (MLAs) are only unable to access them (ministers). I am not levelling allegations against anyone. We are not talking about funds, but these funds are not implemented properly. This has become the system,' Kage told reporters.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
Also Read: A Rs 4,000-cr scandal' — Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, his wife & loyalists in eye of MUDA 'scam' storm