Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has provided ammunition to the BJP with his remarks regarding potential leadership changes in Karnataka. When questioned about rumours of DK Shivakumar replacing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Kharge stated, "It is in the hands of the party high command," adding, "No one can say what is going on in the high command."
Amid reports of infighting within the state party unit, Kharge further commented, "It is left to the high command, and they have the right to take further action, but no one should create problems unnecessarily."
Kharge's remarks are being widely interpreted as suggesting he is not part of the decision-making high command. The BJP swiftly questioned Kharge's authority within the party despite his position as national president.
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya mocked the Congress president, saying, "The Congress High Command is like a ghost - unseen, unheard, but always felt. Even the Congress President, whom people believed was the high command, whispers its name and says it's not him. How eerie!"
R Ashoka, BJP's Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, criticised Kharge as an "accidental" leader. In a social media post, Ashoka derided Kharge for openly admitting his exclusion from the party's decision-making process.
Responding to Kharge's comments, R Ashoka in a post wrote, "Looks like Congress has gifted us another âaccidentalâ leader. First it was Dr. Manmohan Singh, the PM who had the chair but not the command, who had the responsibility but no power. Now itâs Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, the Accidental AICC President who proudly admits he doesnât know what the âhigh commandâ is thinking."
"Dear Kharge, if you are not the high command, then who is? Rahul Gandhi? Sonia Gandhi? Priyanka Gandhi Or is it an invisible committee of one surname?" BJP leader questioned.
"In Congress, the President is just there for appearances, while decisions are taken behind closed doors at 10 Janpath. Kharge Ji isnât leading the Congress, heâs leading a masterclass in con-graceful surrender. Same script, new actor. Still directed by the Gandhi family," he said,
The "high command" reference has become Congress leaders' standard response during the ongoing power struggle between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. This pattern emerged when Siddaramaiah himself deflected questions about leadership changes, stating such decisions rest with the high command.
Tensions escalated in April when Congress MLA Basavaraj Shivaganga, a Shivakumar supporter, publicly demanded Siddaramaiah's removal by year-end - exposing deep divisions despite party instructions to keep disagreements private.
To address the crisis, Congress's Karnataka affairs coordinator Randeep Surjewala has arrived in Bengaluru for confidential meetings with approximately 100 legislators, in what insiders describe as a damage-control exercise to restore party unity.
