Bengaluru: Chief minister Siddaramaiah, who is having a hard time countering public criticism in Mysuru district and his Varuna assembly segment in particular over the Cauvery water crisis, appears to be doing some damage control in view of the not too far away assembly polls in the state.
He has appointed Mr M. Ramaiah, joint secretary in his secretariat, as Mysuru district coordinator to expedite development and infrastructure projects and meet the people’s aspirations in time for the 2018 elections, according to official sources.
The joint secretary has reportedly been relieved of his duties in the CM’s office to take up his new assignment in Mysuru.
“With elections to the state assembly just a year- and- a- half away, the Chief Minister has decided to speed up projects in Mysuru district and his Varuna constituency in particular. That’s why Mr Ramaiah has been made the Mysuru district coordinator reporting to the Chief Minister. He will shift base to Mysuru and focus on implementation of all the development and infrastructure projects before 2018," sources added.
A Congress leader from Mysuru, however, claimed that the district coordinator had been appointed as the CM’s younger son, Dr Yathindra, a trained medical practitioner, had not been able to satisfactorily fill the shoes of his late son, Rakesh, who was for long seen as his heir apparent. “ Mr Siddaramaiah is not sure if Yathindra can pull off the responsibility successfully especially as the official meeting he held in Mysuru recently attracted strong criticism from all quarters. Seeing this, the CM has decided to shift Mr Ramaiah to Mysuru,” he said and added that the coordinator may also mentor Dr Yathindra in handling administrative matters.
