Foot-In-Mouth Politics: How Yathindra Keeps Putting Siddaramaiah & Congress On Backfoot

Foot-In-Mouth Politics: How Yathindra Keeps Putting Siddaramaiah & Congress On Backfoot

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's son, Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah, has perfected an art his party could do without—the art of putting both his father and the Congress on the backfoot.

At a time when the Congress has been working overtime to manufacture the optics of unity through carefully curated, widely publicised in the media, breakfast meetings between Siddaramaiah and his Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, it is Yathindra who has been consistently undoing that narrative. One remark at a time.

Just when Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar began chanting the “all is well" and “we leave it to the high command" mantra—smiling for the cameras over idlis, uppittu, and naati-koli saru—Yathindra once again stepped into the political minefield.

His latest statement is that his father will complete the full five-year term as Chief Minister, and the Congress high command has not taken any decision on leadership change. He even added that the opposition was “dreaming" of a change in CM.

The problem for Congress is not merely what he said but how often he keeps saying it. Each time the leadership tussle narrative quietens, Yathindra revives it with a new quote, a fresh angle, another unsolicited clarification.

His remarks land like political grenades—forcing the Congress to scramble, Shivakumar to explain, and Siddaramaiah to defend. And all this at a moment when the party is desperate to project stability going into a tough legislative session and a turbulent national political climate.

The Congress high command has tried hard to bury the perception of a cold war between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. Two publicised breakfast meetings were supposed to signal a united house. Yet the political chatter has only grown louder, thanks largely to Yathindra's loose and recurring commentary.

“There was no power tussle… it was all created by the opposition. DK Shivakumar has asked for an opportunity. The high command said there is no situation to change the leadership," Yathindra told reporters.

But there have been veiled remarks by Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar as well after their breakfast truce meetings.

And if the Congress believed its choreographed breakfast meetings had successfully stitched together a peace between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, the events in Hassan on December 7 proved otherwise. The truce, it seems, barely lasted the length of that meal.

Sharing the stage at a government function, both leaders attempted the familiar optics of unity. But their words betrayed a different story—one of simmering tension, coded warnings, and unmistakable political signalling.

Shivakumar went first, slipping in a set of remarks that were anything but casual. “We should prepare for a change in the state in the coming days to give new strength and shape," he said, a line that instantly set off political antennae. He continued in a philosophical tone, “Our lives are not permanent; what we leave behind is permanent. God doesn't give curses or blessings; he gives opportunities. What we do with those opportunities is important."

In a political season defined by whispers of a “word given" to Shivakumar, his next line was particularly loaded: “Our word must be measured, and work should be of utmost importance."

Minutes later, Siddaramaiah took the stage—and responded: “I usually don't promise," he said, his voice carrying its own edge. “But when I do, I will always act according to it. If there is ever a government that has acted according to promises given, it is our government."

In the context of a supposed 30-month power-sharing pact that the high command refuses to confirm or deny, the message was unmistakable. Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were united in this—they were reminding the party high command in Delhi.

Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh, known to be a close confidant of Siddaramaiah, had also commented carefully, saying the question of whether Siddaramaiah would stay for five years was “a matter left to the high command".

Shivakumar, for his part, attempted zen-like restraint—“I am very happy; let good things happen for the state… let good things happen."

But even these controlled responses could not match the impact of the repeated commentary coming from the CM's home turf—his own son.

However, the opposition smelled blood, and predictably, the BJP seized the moment.

Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka delivered a scathing attack: “The State Government is paralysed. Karnataka's governance is frozen. The Congress high command is busy managing egos instead of managing the state."

He mocked the orchestrated unity photo-ops, calling them “forced breakfast meetings, staged smiles, and scripted optics". He even asked the question that has now become politically unavoidable: “Is Yathindra Siddaramaiah the new High Command of the Congress party?"

For the BJP, months of internal Congress disquiet have suddenly aligned into a single, easy narrative: a government distracted, a leadership divided, and a young MLC who keeps tossing his party into turbulence.

What makes Yathindra's most recent statement politically combustible is that it comes after months of erratic and contradictory comments. In September, he said there was “no reason" to change the Chief Minister. In October, he spoke of Satish Jarkiholi as his father's “ideological successor", sparking a political storm.

He later claimed he was referring only to ideological guidance, not the CM's chair, forcing Siddaramaiah himself to clarify that his son's comments had been “twisted". Through November, he reiterated multiple times that his father would complete five years, that there was no power-sharing deal, that “there were no complaints or scams", and that the high command had not discussed any leadership change.

Each of these remarks triggered a new cycle of speculation within the Congress, with ministers scrambling to offer spin and Shivakumar patiently reminding everyone that he had “no differences with the Chief Minister".

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also stepped in to defend his son—a move that only added to the heat around the leadership issue. Siddaramaiah said Yathindra's comments on a possible change of guard had been “twisted", claiming his son had spoken under pressure from reporters.

Insiders to the Chief Minister said Siddaramaiah had personally asked Yathindra to clarify what he meant. Yathindra explained that he was speaking purely on “ideology", not politics.

But the attempt to explain away the remarks has done little to calm the ongoing churn within the Congress. Instead of closing the matter, the father-son defence only pushed the conversation further inside the party.

Within the party, irritation has begun to surface. Some Congress MLAs have openly demanded disciplinary action against Yathindra, pointing out that others were issued notices for far milder comments.

Channagiri MLA Basavaraj Shivaganga, a close associate of DKS, said, “I have been given a notice for my remarks regarding the Chief Minister's post. The party should take the statement made by Dr Yathindra seriously. Appropriate action should be taken."

Ramanagara MLA Iqbal Hussain and Sagar MLA Beluru Gopalakrishna, also known to be part of the DKS faction, also sought action, like they were served notices when they made comments.

DK Shivakumar, also holding the position of Karnataka state Congress president, responded with a sharp warning to his own flock: “Party discipline is the priority."

Meanwhile, the high command has quietly gathered inputs from the KPCC about the development and public utterances. Yet, conspicuously, Yathindra has not received a show-cause notice, unlike other MLAs.

Yathindra's October statement elevating Satish Jarkiholi as his father's ideological successor has had an unintended political consequence—it has energised a section of Dalit leadership within the Congress.

A mega Dalit convention is also on the cards, supported by heavyweights like Jarkiholi, HC Mahadevappa, G Parameshwara and KH Muniyappa. Their message is unmistakable: if leadership changes are contemplated, the next Chief Minister should be a Dalit. This emerging Dalit consolidation is not just a show of support for Siddaramaiah—it is a direct signal to the high command that leadership equations in Karnataka cannot revolve around only two Vokkaliga and Kuruba power centres.

Shivakumar is clearly caught in a political paradox.

Yathindra's repeated declarations that Siddaramaiah will remain CM for five years reduce his room for manoeuvre. At the same time, attacking the CM's son would be politically disastrous.

Shivakumar's cryptic X post—“word power is world power"—added to the intrigue. Yathindra, when asked about it, politely said he did not know the context.

Yet within the DKS camp, anxiety is palpable. Many fear that if the high command freezes the leadership issue now, the opportunity may slip away not only this year but even in 2028.

Every time Congress tries to shut down the conversation on leadership, Yathindra inadvertently restarts it. His remarks keep the pot boiling, the opposition energised, and the party internally restless.

For Siddaramaiah, the political irony is painful: it is not the BJP, not the opposition, not even his traditional rivals, but his own son who has repeatedly pushed him into political tight corners.

The ​ Congress also must confront an uncomfortable truth: unity optics can only go so far when its biggest destabiliser comes from within the family.

Source: News18
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