Bengaluru: If all goes as per plans, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy will expand his Ministry on Sunday, June 17. At least three to four Congress leaders are expected to be inducted. On June 6, he had inducted 25 Ministers (15 from the Congress and 10 from JD(S)).
As per the power-sharing formula, the Congress had 22 Ministerial berths, including that of Deputy Chief Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara, while the JD(S) got 12, including the CM. The Congress still can induct six members while the JD(S) is left with just one slot in the Cabinet.
Under pressure from senior party legislators, who have raised a banner of revolt for being kept out of the Cabinet, the Congress decided to go for an early expansion, sources said. Former Minister M.B. Patil, who had become a rallying point for a group of disgruntled MLAs, is set to get a Cabinet berth. He had recently met Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi’s Political Secretary Ahmed Patel.
Though Rahul denied him a Deputy CM’s post, Patil is assured a Ministerial berth, sources said.
Besides Patil, at least three former Ministers are likely to make it this time sources said. Names of Ramalinga Reddy, Satish Jarakiholi, H.K. Patil, R. Roshan Baig, Tanveer Sait, Shamanur Shivashankarappa and M. Krishnappa are said to be in the contention. The party, however, has decided to keep two slots open for the time being.
The Congress desperately seeking an improvement in it’s electoral fortunes is caught napping by it’s lust for power which has been it’s endemic disease since long. Pushed to the brink by the negative goal of keeping the single largest party un Karnataka, the BJP out of power, it is digging it’s own grave by projecting and pampering the JD(S), a family enterprise like itself into the saddle.How treacherous and anti people that it’s legislators are up for grabs from the political power not vested in them by the people? As many as 16 stalwarts are vying for the remaining 6 cabinet berths inducing strong protests all over Karnataka and threatening the law and order situation. The supporters of dropped ministers M.B.Patil, Shamanur Shivashankarappa and Ramalinga Reddy and Roshan Baig are hitting the streets of Bengaluru creating traffic jams putting the Congress to shame for it’s shabby handling of the power share with the JD(S) and within itself. Another senior Congress leader Satish Jarakiholi is emulating veteran S.R.Patil, who has resigned from his post of the working President of the party by giving up his post of the AICC General Secretary. The people are asking whether the power hungry legislators have been elected to serve them or for looting the State turn by turn.