THE CONGRESS IS LOSING KARNATAKA — AND HANDING IT BACK TO THE BJP

 The Congress government in Karnataka appears determined to repeat every mistake that brought it down in earlier eras. What should have been a period of consolidation after a decisive victory has instead descended into an unending power tussle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D. K. Shivakumar. The party leadership in Delhi may pretend the conflict is under control, but on the ground the reality is obvious: both camps have merely resumed the battle they briefly paused under public pressure.

The “breakfast diplomacy” engineered by the high command was never a solution — it was a temporary ceasefire. Having gone through the motions of reconciliation, the two factions have returned to staking their claims openly. The Chief Minister’s repeated assertions that he will complete a full five-year term, despite no formal endorsement from the central leadership, are unmistakable political signals. Shivakumar’s supporters shouting slogans in the CM’s presence — as seen recently at Mangaluru airport — is no accident. It is a deliberate show of strength. Far from restoring unity, these episodes reveal a party split down the middle, with MLAs quietly choosing sides.

The tragedy for the Congress is that this is happening at a time when its principal rival is not particularly strong. The BJP, still regrouping after its 2023 defeat, was in no position to mount an immediate comeback. Yet Congress infighting is breathing life into an opposition that would otherwise have remained dormant. For many voters, a return of the BJP is hardly an exciting prospect — it represents a predictable, status quo-driven politics. But instability is worse. If the Congress cannot maintain basic coherence in government, the electorate may reluctantly turn to the BJP simply for administrative continuity.

This sets up a bleak democratic dilemma: the people of Karnataka are caught between a quarrelling ruling party and an uninspiring opposition. They wanted governance, not a daily soap opera featuring rival camps within the same cabinet. They wanted stability, not ego battles disguised as ideological differences. But the Congress leadership, both in Bengaluru and Delhi, has failed to grasp that political capital is finite — and rapidly draining.

A Sanskrit saying captures the moment with uncomfortable accuracy: “vināsha kāle viparīta buddhi” — when destruction approaches, the mind turns towards the unwise. Unless the Congress arrests its own self-sabotage, it risks handing Karnataka back to the BJP, not because the BJP earned it, but because the Congress squandered its mandate in broad daylight.