During a Congress rally in Bengaluru on Tuesday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah appeared visibly frustrated as Youth Congress members began chanting slogans in favour of his deputy and intra-party rival, DK Shivakumar.
The event, held at Freedom Park under the banner of ‘Save NREGA’, was organised to protest the BJP-led Centre’s decision to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the new Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajivika Mission (Gramin) scheme (VB-G RAM G).
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were joined on stage by party national general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, state ministers, MPs and legislators.
As Siddaramaiah rose to address the crowd, chants of “DK, DK” began and quickly grew louder. The Chief Minister scolded the workers, asking, “Who are those shouting ‘DK, DK’?” An organiser also intervened, urging, “Youth Congress leaders should keep quiet. The chief minister is addressing the gathering. We know who you are. Listen to the CM silently.” Despite these efforts, the slogans continued.
The incident quickly went viral on social media. Former Congress leader Rohan Gupta, now with the BJP, commented in Hindi: “In Bengaluru, the Congress stage once again turned into an arena for the battle over the chair. This is no public movement; it is a power struggle within the Congress, where neither the people nor development matter. Due to internal clashes, the Congress is heading towards self-destruction.”
The episode highlighted the ongoing tussle between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. Several MLAs and MLCs are reportedly backing the Deputy Chief Minister, who is believed to have been promised half of the chief ministerial term starting November. Both leaders, however, have said they will abide by the party high command’s decision.
Despite the disruption, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence in completing his full five-year term, noting that the party high command is firmly backing him. On stage, he and Shivakumar also shared moments of cordiality, indicating that personal rapport remains intact even amid political tension.
