Senior Congressman and Supreme Court advocate Brijesh Kalappa resigning from the primary membership of the Congress Party is only reflective of the mood within the faction-rid party, where old-timers are feeling neglected even as top leaders are busy in a game of political one-upmanship.
Kalappa, who shared his resignation letter (dated May 30, 2022) sent to party president Sonia Gandhi on Facebook has cited “lack of passion” and his performance being “listless and perfunctory” for his decision to quit the party.
“I have been representing the party on Hindi, English and Kannada channels since the UPA years in 2013 for almost a decade and have clocked 6,497 debates. Besides, the party has been regularly assigning political work to me, which I have performed to the best of my satisfaction. Regarding TV debates, I have done my very best at all times and have never ever appeared without adequate preparation for any debate. Even at the worst of times for the party in the aftermath of 2014 and 2019 debacles, I have never felt enervated and lacking in energy and enthusiasm. But, in the recent past, I have been finding myself lacking in passion, while my own performance has been listless and perfunctory,” stated Kalappa in his resignation letter, who also expressed his gratitude to Sonia Gandhi for the several opportunities provided to him.
“If I am recognised as a familiar face in all parts of this extraordinarily large nation, it is indeed thanks to your patronage. It is again thanks to your blessings that I was appointed as legal advisor to government of Karnataka with the rank of minister,” wrote Kalappa.
Speaking to THE WEEK, Kalappa said, “Politics without passion is a meaningless affair. So, I decided to call it quits. I have ended by 25-year-long association with the Congress party.”
Kalappa has not ruled out joining other political parties, and speculations are rife over him joining the Aam Admi Party, which is equally keen to welcome the educated urban class, senior leaders from other political parties, retired bureaucrats and professionals into its fold ahead of the elections.
Asked about his exit at a time when the party needs to up its ante against the ruling BJP, Kalappa said the Congress had a “good number of leaders” to defend the party.
According to sources, the candidate selection for the just concluded MLC election and the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections might have triggered Kalappa’s resignation. The Christian community leaders, too, had expressed their disappointment over being sidelined in the party as minority representation in the party invariably favoured the Muslim community. The discontent over the party lacking a system and process to identify and acknowledge the contributions of its senior members and party workers has been brewing for quite sometime. In 2018, Kalappa was denied a ticket to contest from Madikeri though it was the party leadership that had asked the Delhi-based lawyer to come to Karnataka.
Senior leaders like former minister C.M. Ibrahim, former MLC ‘Mukyamantri’ Chandru and Brijesh Kalappa quitting the party is nothing new. A similar exodus of leaders was witnessed during Siddaramaiah’s tenure as the chief minister. Former union minister S.M. Krishna, former minister Srinivas Prasad and H. Vishwanath had quit the party citing “irreconcilable differences” with the party’s state leadership.
This time, the disgruntlement among the leaders is not just over the infighting and factionalism, but sheer lack of a system to reward loyalty and hard work.
“Why should anybody work hard to make one Siddaramaiah or a D.K. Shivakumar the chief minister, when his own career is heading nowhere?,” asks a leader, who says many others are feeling suffocated in the party.
“Every one has individual aspirations which are not being met in the party,” he adds.
The power tussle between CLP leader Siddaramaiah and KPCC chief D.K. Shivakumar has only made it worse as several leaders are not hopeful of any positive change in the party that can galvanise the cadres ahead of the crucial 2023 Assembly elections.
It is a Tom and Jerry fight in the Congress between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar today, say party insiders. There is resentment among the senior leaders as there is no guarantee that they will get a party ticket to contest and get elected as an MLA in 2023 as the factional wars have ensured that only the people close to either Siddaramaiah or Shivakumar will get a ticket. There is no one keeping tabs on anyone’s work or contribution to the party.
“The party is simply not capable of any change,” lament leaders.
