Projecting a chief ministerial face for 2023 Assembly polls won’t help Congress, says Shivakumar  

Siddaramaiah was projected but he didn’t deliver for the Congress.

Amid a power tussle within the Congress over projecting a chief ministerial face, Karnataka Congress chief D.K. Shivakumar tells The Hindu in an interview that projecting Mr. Siddaramaiah last time didn’t help the party.

Edited excerpts.

The BJP never believed in nationalism as they don’t believe in the unity of this country. They always believe in division. From the day the Congress won freedom for the country, we are trying to take the country forward and see that all sections of the people of the country are safe. If Congress is in power, it can take along every section of the society. India’s culture is to be united. The tricolour flag, the Constitution and democracy have to be safeguarded and the country's integrity, peace and social justice has to be maintained.

I gave a call to the people of Karnataka that this will be a non-political event. Though the Congress party heads it, you all are to participate with your family. I never took my wife or children in any of my political programmes but seeing their father’s effort, my children themselves came forward, held the national flag and marched. More than 25,000 students from various institutions joined in.

It is quite obvious that they have to blame some opposition party for their own wounds. It is not me but the ministers of the sitting government, MLAs, former Union Minister are telling about the leadership change, corruption, and what all is there. They have been internally speaking as well in public. So being an opposition party, it is our duty to tell the truth.

I don't have any followers for myself. I don't believe in any followers. One man with courage makes a majority. I am the leader. The entire Congress party cadres are our party. I don't believe in groupism or in any parallel system. Whatever the party high command tells me, it is my duty to follow. My duty is to deliver Karnataka to Shrimati Sonia Gandhi [Congress president].

We had Mr. Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister for five years. None of us disturbed him, none did any dissident activities against him. We all stood like a rock with him. Mr. [Rahul] Gandhi stood like a rock with him, gave him the maximum strength and support. He was declared as the Chief Ministerial candidate [in 2018]. He could not deliver, we lost. In various States also, it has happened. And now there is no option. The party decided that we will all go with collective leadership; we will all join and work in a collective leadership. I am sure that we will come back to power.