Today in Politics: DK Shivakumar Constitution remarks row snowballs in Parliament

On Monday morning, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju led the charge against Shivakumar, with BJP leaders saying they could not remain quiet on an “extremely serious” statement by a person “who is holding a constitutional post”. Rijiju demanded that the Congress sack Shivakumar or the party clarify whether it would indeed change the Constitution to provide reservation to the minority community.

Shivakumar told reporters that the BJP was “misquoting” him. “I have been an MLA for 36 years, I have basic common sense. I casually said that there have been so many changes (in the Constitution)… The reservation (for Muslims in government contracts) in Karnataka has been given as per quota for backward classes. I have not said we are going to change the Constitution… We are a national party and know the Constitution. I will move for breach of privilege on this,” Shivakumar said.

All India Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala told The Indian Express that Shivakumar was “not present in the Karnataka Assembly when the Bill (providing 4% reservation) came up for discussion”.

“He (Shivakumar) also said he never said the Constitution would be amended to give religion-based reservation and also clarified that reservation in Karnataka was given keeping backwardness as a criterion. The entire controversy is fake and manufactured.”

The issue is likely to become the topic of conversation in political circles in the coming days, putting the heat on the Congress and Shivakumar who is already on the backfoot.

IN CONTEXT: This controversy surrounding Shivakumar comes days after the honey-trapping row in Karnataka. On March 20, the Congress’s Minister for Cooperation in Karnataka, K N Rajanna, alleged he had been the target of a “honey-trapping” attempt by a gang that had also targeted 47 others across party lines.

On the surface, the developments appeared to be a routine clash between the Opposition BJP and the ruling party. However, peeling off the layers of the seemingly routine developments reveals the persistence of the underlying tensions arising from a power struggle within the Congress and the efforts of the BJP to drive a wedge through these fissures in the ruling party.

The cooperation minister who belongs to the Scheduled Tribe community of Nayakas has been the most vocal critic of D K Shivakumar who aspires to replace Siddaramaiah as CM. In recent days, he has raised questions with the Congress’s national leadership about Shivakumar holding multiple positions despite the stated “one man, one post” policy of the party.

Rajanna is also part of a group of Congress ministers from backward communities — such as Satish Jarkiholi, an ST leader; G Parameshwara who is from a Scheduled Caste (SC) community; H C Mahadevappa who is also SC — who have been holding regular discussions on challenging Shivakumar’s apparent hegemony over the party.

In political circles, the word on the apparent import of Rajanna’s allegations is that it is an indirect attempt to preempt any effort by Shivakumar’s inner circle to politically straitjacket him and others through coercive methods. While there is no evidence in the public domain to back the minister’s allegations, there is speculation that the minister and his associates have been able to link the honey-trap gang to the associates of a top leader.

Delhi BJP Budget

The BJP government under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta will present its first Budget on Monday and anticipation is high about the schemes and policies it would unveil.

Leading up to the Delhi election in February, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the BJP battled it out on welfare schemes.

To counter the AAP’s Mahila Samman Yojana, the BJP promised Rs 2,500 under the Mahila Samridhi Yojana. If the BJP had the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat Yojana for healthcare, the AAP had rolled out Sanjeevani Yojana promising free medical care in government and private hospitals for all citizens above 60. There were other promises, from education to cylinders.

It remains to be seen if the BJP will fulfill its poll promises.

On Monday, the first day of the five-day Budget session, Gupta, who also holds the finance portfolio, tabled the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) report on the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) in the Assembly.

— With PTI inputs