Karnataka Power Struggle Exposes Congress’s Crisis: Internal Democracy Or Indiscipline?

Virtues, when stretched without measure, can become vices. The ongoing political slugfest in Karnataka is a prime example of internal democracy mutating into indiscipline, paralysis, and public embarrassment. For several weeks now, two towering Congress leaders—Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar—have been locked in a power struggle that has brought governance to a virtual standstill.

The spectacle has not only distracted the government but also diminished its credibility among the people. At the heart of the crisis is an alleged understanding reached during government formation two and a half years ago.

According to Shivakumar’s supporters, the agreement stipulated that Siddaramaiah would step aside at the halfway mark of the five-year term to enable Shivakumar to take over as Chief Minister. With the government now entering its second half, they argue, the time has come for the transition. Siddaramaiah’s camp firmly denies any such pact, asserting instead that he enjoys the support of the majority of Congress MLAs.

One great advantage the grand old party, the Indian National Congress, has always claimed is its tradition of internal democracy. No other political party in the country can boast of this asset with equal conviction. A Congressman can speak his mind, even criticise the leadership openly, without fearing expulsion or retribution.

The rise of public intellectual-politicians like Shashi Tharoor is a testament to this culture. In most other parties, such frankness would have resulted in summary dismissal—as the recent experience of former bureaucrat-turned-BJP leader and former Union minister RK Singh from Bihar demonstrates. Yet, the Karnataka crisis illustrates how this very democracy, when left unchecked, can spiral into open defiance and administrative drift.

The controversy has now landed at the doorstep of the Congress high command. But the high command of today is neither sufficiently “high” nor demonstrably capable of commanding. In earlier decades, party presidents enforced discipline with clarity and finality.

Today, they seem hesitant, even helpless, as multiple delegations of MLAs shuttle to Delhi to plead their case. Six MLAs backing Shivakumar travelled to the capital on November 23, and more are expected. Some ten legislators had already met Mallikarjun Kharge earlier, pressing for a change of guard.

Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah publicly insists that MLAs have the freedom to express their views but adds that the ultimate decision must rest with the high command. True, internal democracy is a strength. But democracy does not mean drift, indecision, or the erosion of governmental authority.

The people of Karnataka are watching this tamasha unfold, and the Opposition—especially the BJP—is waiting in the wings, eager to exploit the chaos. The Congress must remember: internal democracy is admirable, but it should never be allowed to come at the cost of the party—or the government it leads.

Published on: Wednesday, November 26, 2025, 02:45 AM IST