A nine-foot statue of former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was taken down by the Kalaburagi City Corporation on Thursday morning. The statue had been installed by his supporters at High Court Circle without the necessary permissions. This incident occurred while current Chief Minister D K Shivakumar was in the city for the Kalyana Karnataka Utsav celebrations.
The episode also comes against the backdrop of differences within the state Congress following the change in chief minister. B K Hariprasad was appointed Karnataka Congress president after Shivakumar took over as CM. His appointment was seen within the party as an effort to prevent power from becoming concentrated around Shivakumar. Hariprasad and Shivakumar have since differed publicly on questions of power and party leadership. Those who want to strengthen the Congress and the hand of Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, come with me.
Hariprasad was also reportedly unhappy after he was not invited to an event marking 100 days of the Shivakumar government on September 10.
During discussions over the expansion of the state Cabinet, Hariprasad said, “Whoever wants power and posts can go with Shivakumar. Shivakumar later said the government had invited everyone, including Opposition MLAs, and that seating at the Vidhana Soudha Banquet Hall had been determined by protocol.
Shivakumar succeeded Siddaramaiah as chief minister, and the two have remained central figures in the Congress’s internal power structure. “The CM may have changed, the statue may have been moved, but the Congress succession war hasn’t ended yet. The chair is still in contention. The camps are still at war. And the Congress High Command is still pretending everything is ‘under control’. The Game of Thrones in Karnataka Congress is not over. Not even close.
Because of the timing of the statue’s installation, coming as Shivakumar was staying in Kalaburagi for the Kalyana Karnataka celebrations, the incident has drawn attention.
“The statue had been put up despite previous requests by Siddaramaiah supporters for permission to install one at the site,” said Gurunath Pujari, district president of the Kuruba Sangha. “Supporters from Sharan Sirasagi had approached the corporation several times over the past few years,” he added. Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka said the overnight installation and removal of Siddaramaiah’s statue reflected continuing tensions within the Congress over the chief minister’s post. And Kannadigas are paying a heavy price for it every single day,” Ashoka said in a post on X.
