Breakfast Truce Or Political Band-Aid? Congress Serves Up Unity On The Menu At Sidda-DKS Meet

The breakfast meeting was picture perfect. But the cynics are looking at the idli-sambhar exchange with a lot of scepticism. This is because in the past too, the top Congress leadership has stepped in to ensure that warring leaders like Sachin Pilot-Ashok Gehlot, TS Singh Deo-Bhupesh Baghel shared a meal. But the food eventually turned cold and the result was there for all to see.
The central leadership was keen to avoid this at any cost. In fact, sources say Rahul Gandhi was clear that the boat should not be rocked and that peace be maintained in Karnataka at any cost. He conveyed that the “priority should be the SIR exercise and no one should budge from this. If we keep this going in Karnataka, then the BJP gets an issue and diverts attention”.
This is when KC Venugopal called Karnataka’s deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, asking him to cancel the 7pm flight to Delhi and stay back. He was asked to meet chief minister Siddaramaiah for breakfast and sort out all issues.
The central leadership also worried that if the matter kept simmering, the voices of dissent would rise further in the Congress. For example, Veerappa Moily, who was once the chief minister of Karnataka, told News18 that a third option for the CM’s crown must be looked at.
The breakfast has brought some cheer to the high command. For long, the frequent power struggle in Congress-ruled states has earned Rahul Gandhi the tag of being a weak leader. This truce, however temporary, gives the impression that the Grand Old Party is in command and could swing peace.
But it also brings out the fissures and weak links about the vacillating stand of the Congress leaders. Their attempt to keep everyone happy—which leaves no one happy—shows the difference between the BJP and Congress.
The challenge for the high command for now is the upcoming cabinet reshuffle in Karnataka. Will troubleshooter DK Shivakumar, who enjoys the confidence of the Gandhi siblings and is flaunted by Rahul Gandhi as the Congress leader all should emulate for not having left to join the BJP under legal pressure, be sacrificed at the altar?