While the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has called off ‘Kodagu Chalo’ programme in view of the prohibitory orders, sources in the Congress said the party high command and a section of party leaders in the State had opposed the march citing the sensitiveness of the district ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections and the risks involved.
Sources in the party said Mr. Siddaramaiah called off the march apparently at the instructions of senior leaders of the party in Delhi. Moreover, the former Chief Minister had hurriedly announced the march without consultation with KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar, they added.
Letter to high command
In fact, before the cancellation of the march, S.A. Hussain, general secretary, KPCC, and loyalist of Mr. Shivakumar, had written to AICC president Sonia Gandhi, urging her to impress upon Mr. Siddaramaiah to call off the march stating that it is a communally sensitive district “which is a breeding ground for the fringe elements and political parties such as the SDPI and right-wing organisations.”
Mr. Hussain, who was general secretary of the Kodagu district for nine years, said, “In the past, during the Tipu Jayanti celebration which was announced by our last government, the situation got out of control due to a protest in which Kuttappa succumbed to injuries by falling into a gorge which led to polarisation in the district and spread to the State. This was one of the reasons for our defeat in the 2018 Assembly elections”.
The high command reportedly told Mr. Siddaramaiah to call off his march sensing that this would be a risk the party would be taking ahead of the elections if things went out of control during the protest.
Mr. Hussain said in his letter that “felicitations, humiliation, and accusations” are an integral part of every politician’s public life. There have been instances where former Chief Ministers such as [late] R. Gundu Rao were attacked with stones in Somwarpet town in Kodagu. Former Chief Ministers late Ramakrishna Hegde and late N. Dharam Singh also were attacked in public in the State, he said.
Alternative to ‘Kodagu Chalo’
Instead of ‘Kodagu Chalo’, the KPCC general secretary suggested organising a massive public meeting wherein the party places before the people of Kodagu the achievements of the Congress government and also highlight the relief measures taken up by the erstwhile government led by Mr. Siddaramaiah.
He further said, “We can impress upon the people of Kodagu to compare the efforts and commitment of our Congress government during the last calamities with that of the present BJP dispensation.”
The two MLAs of Kodagu district belong to the BJP.
