Cabinet, co-ordination meet: Siddaramaiah wants it, not Karnataka CM
Bengaluru: With the Congress-JD(S) coalition inching towards the first 100-day mark, ministerial aspirants keen to join the cabinet during the auspicious month of Shravana, may not be able to do so as a crucial meeting of the co-ordination committee on August 31 to finalise candidates for the cabinet is being scuppered by the top leaders of both coalition partners.
Sources in Congress said chairman of the committee and former CM Siddaramaiah was upset with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy for pruning the budgetary allocation for some of his pet schemes and his attempts to sideline ministers belonging to his party or slighting them with his style of functioning. The former CM was also keen to discuss the disenchantment among Congress ministers for not getting their way in the decision-making process.
The prospect of a delay in the meeting, however, was indicated by deputy chief minister Dr G Parameshwar on Wednesday, who said: "We have said that due to heavy rain, all of us are facing major problems and challenges. In the wake of this, it is not appropriate to hold the co-ordination committee meeting now."
Sources said originally, the coordination committee was scheduled to meet last month but had to defer it as Congress general secretary in-charge of the state, K C Venugopal, was away in New Delhi attending the monsoon session of parliament. Later, he rushed to Kerala in view of floods, but sent word that he would visit Bengaluru on August 30 or 31 for the meeting.