BENGALURU: Hopes of Congress leadership to put an end to dissidence by announcing the date for cabinet expansion are proving futile as the ministerial aspirants are in no mood to take the assurance at face value.
The assurance to expand the cabinet on December 22, a day after the conclusion of the winter session of the state legislature, contrary to their demand for completing it before the start of the session on December 10, has lent credence to suspicions.
Congress MLA from Kampli constituency J N Ganesh, who is among the ministerial aspirants, conveyed the trust deficit loud and clear on Thursday. “We had demanded cabinet expansion before the start of the session. But now the coalition leaders have announced that it will be done after the session. I don’t feel they (party leadership) will fulfil their promise. They have done this five to six times before and deferred the cabinet expansion by offering one alibi or the other. The same will be repeated this time as well,” Ganesh said.
Ganesh sees no hope of ministry expansion till the Lok Sabha election.Former minister Ramalinga Reddy, one of the front runners for a ministerial berth, too has conveyed his displeasure at the party leadership for not fulfilling its promise to expand the cabinet before the session.“If they are not interested to expand the cabinet, let them make it clear. Already such dates have been set 10 times for cabinet expansion and deferred later. I do not see any possibility of cabinet expansion before the Lok Sabha election,” Reddy said.
Siddu reassures hopefuls
The strong resentment of the ministerial aspirants forced former chief minster Siddaramaiah to hit the damage control mode by reassuring them on fulfilling the promise. “Cabinet expansion will happen on December 22 as announced. Senior state Congress leaders will leave for Delhi on December 21 to meet AICC president Rahul Gandhi. The names of the new ministers will be announced on December 21 itself and the ministry will be expanded on December 22. There is no need to have doubts about it,” he said.