Bengaluru, 7 Jan

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said that the dinner meeting of Congress leaders, ministers and lawmakers from SC/ST communities that was called on 8 January, has been postponed following instruction from a AICC general secretary.

The meeting has been postponed on the instructions of AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala, and the next date of the meeting will be informed later, Parameshwara said in a statement.

The meeting was scheduled within a week after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's dinner with select Dalit and ST Cabinet colleagues that had created buzz within the ruling Congress, amid speculation over a change of guard in the state after March this year.

While, the 2 January dinner was hosted at Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi's residence, which was attended by Social Welfare Minister HC Mahadevappa, Parameshwara and Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna, along with CM; Wednesday's meeting that has now been postponed was under the leadership of Parameshwara.

According to party sources, Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress president D K Shivakumar had met AICC general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal in Delhi and discussed the developments.

Responding to a question on "dinner politics" in the party and meeting called under Parameshwara's leadership, Shivakumar, who is in Delhi after returning from abroad, said, "He was not aware of it (meetings), I was away. I don't have information. After going to Bengaluru I will try and get to know about it."

Earlier in the day, speaking to reporters, Parameshwara said that Wednesday's dinner meeting was a preparatory meeting for the SC/ST convention that they were planning to organise in the days ahead, aimed at consolidating the community's support in favour of the party. "...We are planning to host a SC/ST convention in the days ahead. We had organised a SC/ST convention in Chitradurga ahead of Assembly polls seeking support. We never did a thanksgiving convention after the polls and coming to power...aimed at organising such a convention, all MLA, ex-MLAs, party office bearers from the SC/ST communities are gathering tomorrow," he said.

Stating that the SC/ST convention that is being planned will be a Congress event organised under the party banner, the Home Minister said, "Resolutions were passed at the Chitradurga meet ahead of polls. SC/ST ministers, legislators and leaders will first discuss it and then take it to other ministers and the CM."

Responding to a question about such dinner meetings being projected differently outside, he said, "Just because it is projected in other ways, should we not stay united? Let anyone interpret in any way they want. The SC/ST community has always stood by the Congress party. They should continue to remain with us. Zilla and Taluk Panchayat polls are coming up. We should listen to these communities, when we are in power."

In the last week's meeting that CM attended, it is learnt that the discussion was regarding consolidating AHINDA (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits) support base, that Siddaramaiah champions.

The meeting had created buzz amid speculations of leadership change after the state budget. A section of Congress that supports Siddaramaiah is of the view that he should not resign, and the CM post should be retained within the AHINDA fold. However, ministers who attended the dinner last week have ruled out any political discussion being held.

Responding to a question about the 2 January meeting, Parameshwara earlier today said, "On the occasion of New Year, to discuss internally certain matters, we met over dinner and CM was also invited. The CM said, if food is served he too will join...We had food. There was no political discussion. I think there is no need to interpret it differently."

The dinner meeting took place at a time when DK Shivakumar, a chief ministerial aspirant, was abroad. There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the chief minister's post after the declaration of Assembly election results in May 2023, and the Congress had managed to convince the latter and made him the Deputy CM.

There were some reports at the time that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational chief minister formula," according to which Shivakumar will become CM after two-and-half years, but they have not been officially confirmed by the party.