Caste, clout, calculus: The wheels within wheels in BJP minister Sreeramulu’s praise for rival Siddaramaiah | Political Pulse News,The Indian Express
Two days ago, while speaking at an event organised by the Ballari Kuruba Sangha (Siddaramaiah belongs to the backward Kuruba community), Sreeramulu said the community should not see him as an opponent since he also wished to see Siddaramaiah return as CM.
A passing remark that a BJP minister in Karnataka made a couple of days ago, that he is not opposed to seeing Congress leader Siddaramaiah as chief minister of Karnataka, has resulted in some amount of hair-splitting over the political context and purpose of the statement.
Two days ago, while speaking at an event organised by the Ballari Kuruba Sangha (Siddaramaiah belongs to the backward Kuruba community), Karnataka Transport Minister B Sreeramulu said the community should not see him as an opponent since he also wished to see their community leader Siddaramaiah return as CM.
“Do you think I am opposed to the Kurubas? I am not opposed to Siddaramaiah. Even I am of the view that he should become the CM if the opportunity presents itself. If you ask Siddaramaiah, he will also say that Ramulu should become CM. In this large political system we have to make alliances, these are all political strategies,” the BJP minister said, while claiming that he had helped Siddaramaiah win polls in 2018. Siddaramaiah, then contesting as the incumbent CM, had defeated Sreeramulu from the Badami seat.
The statement has seen different interpretations in political circles, which are at an edge over the coming Assembly elections. Congress leaders argued that Sreeramulu was trying to regain prominence in the BJP, where he has lost clout since the 2018 state polls; others viewed it as a sign of the growing weakness of the BJP in Karnataka with no leader in control of the party; while Sreeramulu himself claimed that the remarks were actually an indirect call to all backward communities to unite under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
However, the BJP clearly did not take the remarks lightly, with Sreeramulu summoned to the party headquarters in Bengaluru soon after and reportedly asked for an explanation. BJP leaders officially did not say anything.
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