Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Karnataka In-charge and National General Secretary Radha Mohan Das Agrawal on Thursday, 22 May alleged that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge was deliberately fanning rivalry between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to advance his own political ambitions in the state. Agrawal made the allegations while addressing reporters at the state BJP office, Jagannath Bhavan, in Bengaluru.

The 'Three Claimants' Charge

Agrawal invoked the fable of two cats fighting over bread while a monkey mediates — and eats the prize — to describe Kharge's alleged role. 'Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, sitting in Delhi, is acting like the monkey in the popular tale of two fighting cats by creating conflict between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. He is waiting for an opportunity to become Chief Minister himself while the two leaders continue fighting,' Agrawal alleged.

He went further, asserting that the contest for Karnataka's top post was not a two-way race. 'There are not just two faces aspiring for the Chief Minister's post in Karnataka, but three,' he claimed — a pointed reference to Kharge as an undeclared third contender.

Congress Government Under Attack

Agrawal launched a broad offensive against the ruling Congress administration, describing it as 'corrupt', 'appeasement-driven', and a 'failed administration'. He alleged that the state was in economic distress owing to heavy borrowing by the Congress government, and that effective governance had been absent for the past six to seven months as senior leaders remained consumed by internal rivalry.

'This government has cheated the people of Karnataka. It has not even implemented its guarantees properly,' he alleged. He also claimed that several Congress MLAs were in contact with the BJP, and asserted that the party would return to power even if Assembly elections were held immediately.

BJP's Own House in Order, Agrawal Says

Responding to questions about the Karnataka BJP's internal leadership, Agrawal pushed back against speculation that his visit was tied to an evaluation of the state party president. 'If there is a perception that an evaluation of the President is happening here, that is incorrect,' he said, adding that performance review within the BJP was a continuous process.

He acknowledged that whenever a new state president was appointed, a fresh team would follow — but clarified that the core committee was a matter for national leadership, not an automatic reshuffle. 'One or two old members may be replaced by new faces,' he noted.

What Comes Next

The BJP's escalating rhetoric against the Congress government in Karnataka signals that the party is positioning itself for an aggressive pre-election campaign, even as it manages its own organisational transition in the state. With Agrawal's visit fuelling speculation about a leadership change within Karnataka BJP, the coming weeks are likely to see heightened political activity on both sides of the aisle.