Siddaramaiah gets rap for flying solo?
Not willing to risk a faction ridden Congress unit before the Lok Sabha polls.
Bengaluru| New Delhi: Not willing to risk a faction ridden Congress unit before the Lok Sabha polls, a meeting of the party top brass led by vice president Rahul Gandhi told Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to make sure he takes senior Congressmen into confidence while making decisions.
Monday's meeting was the first after the AICC constituted the Coordination committee in Karnataka. A section of Congressmen see the move as one aimed at clipping the wings of Siddaramaiah, while the Chief Minister's camp sought to downplay it noting that such panels exist in party-ruled governments elsewhere.
Siddaramaiah’s style of functioning had created heartburn among partymen and the public. These included the Shaadi Bhagya for Muslim girls and the excursion programme for AHINDA students which earned brickbats for the government. This might be the trigger for the Co-ordination committee putting Siddaramaiah under the intense scrutiny of senior leaders.
The meeting reportedly gave its consent to expand the Siddaramaiah cabinet which can accommodate four more ministers. The issue of appointing KPCC president, Dr G. Parameshwar as deputy chief minister was left to AICC president Sonia Gandhi, said sources.
Next: No unilateral decisions, Siddaramaiah
No unilateral decisions, Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru: At a meeting held by AICC president, Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was reportedly cautioned and told to accommodate the views of senior Congress leaders before taking any decision.
"Siddaramaiah has been asked to consult senior leaders before taking any major decision," sources in the party said. This is the second review meeting held by Gandhi after the Congress rode to power in Karnataka.
The words of caution assume significance in the wake of Siddaramaiah's style of functioning which has created heartburn among loyal partymen and had come under criticism from the public. The Siddaramaiah government first earned the wrath of people after announcing a programme, Shaadi Bhagya for only Muslim girls.
Then came the excursion programme for AHINDA students which is said to have earned brickbats for the government. This might be the reason for the Co-ordination committee putting Siddaramaiah under intense scrutiny.
Gandhi sought details pertaining to the preparation for the Lok Sabha elections and also information on ministers holding other posts in the party.
Later the party co-ordination committee headed by AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh held a meeting, sources said. The meeting decided to authorise AICC president Sonia Gandhi to recommend a leader's name for nomination to the Legislative Council for the seat vacated by Mumtaz Ali Khan who quit BJP to join the Congress recently. Since the seat is in the nominated category, the nominee will have a six-year term.
The meeting reportedly gave its consent to the expansion of the 30 strong Siddaramaiah cabinet which can accommodate four more members. The issue of appointing KPCC president Dr G. Parameshwar as deputy chief minister came up for discussion, however, the meeting left the decision to AICC president Sonia Gandhi, sources said. If Dr Parameshwar is made DCM, he will have to vacate the KPCC president’s post following the one-man-one-post norm.