CM to loyalist: Get them on ‘board’
PWD minister Mahadevappa assigned task of preparing list of prospective board & corporation chiefs
By : n.b. hombal
Update: 2014-09-10 06:03 GMT
Bengaluru: Nearly 16 months after he became Chief Minister, Mr. Siddaramaiah has demonstrated that he calls the shots in party matters too.
Listing instances of how former Union minister C.M. Ibrahim was appointed deputy chairman of the state planning board and of senior Lingayat legislator C. S. Appaji Nadagouda as the state’s representative in New Delhi, senior Congress leaders said Mr. Siddaramaiah has complete control of the government and the party. Much to the chagrin of KPCC president Dr. G. Parameshwar and his supporters, Mr. Siddaramaiah has not only propped his lieutenant and PWD minister Dr. H. C. Mahadevappa as the next generation leader but also assigned the task of drawing up a list of his supporters as prospective chairpersons of state-owned boards and corporations.
Sources said though such a move has irked other leaders, they had no choice but to follow the directions of Mr. Siddaramaiah to meet Dr. Mahadevappa and plead that their supporters be appointed as chairpersons of boards. “Barring a few ministers and senior leaders with whom he interacts directly, many leaders have been asked to meet Dr Mahadevappa on this,” sources added.
A leader said Dr. Mahadevappa’s rise mirrored the fact that the CM was keen to ensure he calls the shots in these appointments.