BJP trolls Kharge over 'high-command' remark, calls Congress leadership 'ghost'

The ongoing whispers of a potential leadership change in Karnataka have taken a curious turn, bringing the spotlight back to the shadowy "Congress high command." When questioned about the possible shift in power, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge offered a cryptic and circular answer, stating that the decision "is in the hands of the party high command." This response has sparked a fresh debate on who exactly constitutes this powerful, yet seemingly untraceable, central leadership.

Kharge’s statement, "No one can say what is going on in the high command," led many to question the authority of the AICC president himself. He added that while the high command has the "right to take further action," party members should avoid creating "unnecessary problems," a clear message to the factions within the state unit. These comments were made as rumors about Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar's potential elevation to the Chief Minister's role gained significant traction.

Seizing the opportunity to criticize the Congress's internal functioning, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya took to social media to ask the most obvious question: "Who exactly is this 'unseen, unheard' high command?" In a post on X, Surya took a sharp dig at Kharge, questioning how the party president himself could be unaware of the high command's workings.

Surya's post described the "Congress High Command" as "like a ghost. It is unseen, unheard, but always felt." He mocked the situation, noting that even the party president, whom many would assume to be a part of the high command, speaks of it as an external, mysterious entity. The post's eerie tone highlighted the centralized and opaque nature of decision-making within the Congress party.

The phrase "high command" has become a recurring party line, used by Congress leaders in Karnataka to deflect questions about the power-sharing arrangement between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and D.K. Shivakumar. Siddaramaiah himself had used a similar line earlier in February when asked about discussions on a leadership change, saying, "It is for the high command to decide."