Deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwar? No, say seniors

Bengaluru: It is not only Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is opposed to Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, Dr G. Parameshwar becoming Deputy Chief Minister. Some powerful cabinet ministers too are opposed to the move which is yet to get the approval of the Congress high command.

"Many of us are  not in favour of Dr Parameshwar becoming deputy CM because we are senior to him. The fact that he is  KPCC chief is no justification to become deputy chief minister. In fact, many of us deserve much more than what we are today," two senior ministers in Mr Siddaramaiah’s cabinet confided to Deccan Chronicle on the condition of anonymity.

However, none of the ministers are ready to come out in the open and oppose the move. They are in discussion with the Chief Minister as well as leaders in the Congress high command who are opposed to Dr Parameshwar's induction into the cabinet as Deputy CM.

"It is true that we have expressed our opinion to the Chief Minister in private. He gave us a patient hearing but did not commit himself to anything. The issue will have to be dealt by the high command. We can understand the CM’s predicament if Dr Parameshwar is made his deputy," sources added.

This subtle campaign against Dr Parameshwar has come as a shot in the arm for Mr Siddaramaiah who too is not keen on making the KPCC chief  his deputy. "The CM approves of our line of thinking. It is left to us to  take up the issue with other like-minded ministers, Congress MLAs and the high command," sources explained.

In the Congress culture, the defeat of the party in any election would make the high command weak and the chief ministers  stronger. Mr Siddaramaiah has reportedly started feeling that he is in a stronger position after the  Congress loss in the Lok Sabha elections. Sources said that he is confident the Congress top brass will not object to whatever he decides.

What has added more strength to the Kuruba strongman is the fact that Karnataka  contributed the maximum number of nine seats to the Congress’ Lok Sabha kitty of 44.