Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
Quashing rumours of a major elevation within the Congress party, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday, July 6 said that he has not been appointed chairman of the All India Congress Committee’s (AICC) Other Backward Classes (OBC) advisory council, but is merely a member of the 24-member panel.
Speaking to the media in Bengaluru, the Chief Minister said he had only taken on the responsibility of hosting the council’s first meeting, scheduled to be held on July 15 at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office. The council is headed by Anil Jaihind, chairman of the AICC’s OBC Cell.
This came after confusion triggered by an unsigned letter that was not on official KPCC letterhead. The letter claimed that Siddaramaiah had been appointed as the head of the OBC council. This led to speculation about a potential national role for the veteran leader, amid ongoing power dynamics within the Karnataka government.
“I do not know about being appointed as coordinator or chairman. The media has carried different reports,” Siddaramaiah said. “They [AICC] had asked us to hold a meeting on the OBC issue, and that meeting has been scheduled for July 15. I’ll speak to the high command today to seek clarity.”
When asked if he would accept such a post, he said, “Should I run away when the responsibility is given?”
Hours later, the Chief Minister’s Office issued a statement clarifying his role as a member, not the head, of the advisory group.
The AICC had announced the formation of the 24-member council on July 5, with several senior Congress leaders including former Chief Ministers M Veerappa Moily, Ashok Gehlot, Bhupendra Baghel, and V Narayanaswamy, on the panel. The group has been tasked with studying the problems of OBC communities and drawing up a roadmap for the Congress to engage more effectively with them.
The speculation around Siddaramaiah’s role gained traction as he remains one of the senior-most Chief Ministers in the country, and the move was interpreted by many as a sign of his possible transition to national politics, especially in the backdrop of growing tension with Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.
However, Siddaramaiah dismissed the idea. “I have not asked for any post. This is not about national politics,” he said.