Is Congress heading for a split?

More than 46 years ago, the first challenge to the authority of Indira Gandhi following the historic second split in 1978, had come from Karnataka, when the then Chief Minister D.Devraj Urs distanced himself from the party and formed his own group.

- PANKAJ VOHRA

History may be repeating itself and just before the 140th raising day of the Congress later next month, the banner of revolt may be raised again from Karnataka, which is witnessing a bitter power struggle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D.K. Shivakumar, Incidentally, Devraj Urs has been the longest serving Chief Minister of Karnataka, and if Siddaramaiah survives the crisis and continuestill after January 7, he could break the record.

Parallels in history are always difficult to be drawn, but once Indira Gandhi had returned to power in 1980, the decline of Devraj Urs had commenced, and he did not last too long, In the latest instance, Siddaramaiah is well placed and the Congress does not havea central leader who is as strong and influential as Indira Gandhi was. Therefore, todraw any conclusions would be premature, though the possibility of splitin the party as wellas the fall of the government cannot be ruled outat this juncture.

‘The challenge would be to somehow get over this crisis and keep the flock intact. There isa lot of resentment in the Congressafter the humiliating poll debacle in Bihar and questions about the leadership are being raised in different quarters. Thus, the party high command, which comprises only the Gandhis, would have to act fast, and prevent things from worsening, Mallikarjun Kharge, the party chief, appears tobe helpless and continues to make statements, which effectively mean that the levers of power lie elsewhere and not with him.