BELAGAVI: Infighting in the Congress has resurfaced ahead of the crucial legislature party meeting scheduled for December 18, with a group of disgruntled MLAs from North Karnataka said to be gearing up to raise the issue of neglect of the region with the party high command.
After holding a meeting in Belagavi on Thursday, the disgruntled legislators objected to the discrimination of North Karnataka in the allotment of cabinet posts and party positions despite the region having more MLAs than from the South. They have now decided take the issue to the central leaders in New Delhi, sources said.
Besides bringing the prevailing unrest in the state unit to the notice of the high command, the legislators also are likely to lodge a complaint against Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara for not taking all of them into confidence, the sources said. A clear picture on how the NK legislators have suffered injustice in the party will be given to the high command, they added. Senior Congress leader M B Patil objected to the ‘step-motherly treatment’ meted out to North Karnataka by the Congress.
“North and South Karnataka are like two eyes and should never be treated unfairly. Despite North Karnataka region having 41 MLAs against the South’s 36, the party inducted nine legislators from South into the cabinet while only five from North Karnataka were accommodated,’’ Senior Congress leader M B Patil said, adding that the ‘unfair share’ of portfolios exposed the injustice meted out to the region.
With the Congress choosing to ignore senior leader S R Patil for the post of Legislative Council chairman, M B Patil told media persons in Belagavi that the party should have taken the candidature of S R Patil seriously and elevated him to the post as he was keen on it, being one of the senior leaders of the party.
“He may have missed the key post due to some party guidelines, but naturally it has upset many party legislators. We (MLAs from North Karnataka) had appealed to the party earlier on this issue highlighting the fact that both North and South regions must be treated equally both in the party and the government. The north’s immense contribution to the party’s growth can’t be disputed. It is time for the party to set right the imbalance,’’ he added. Patil pointed out that most of prominent party positions and key posts in the government were given to leaders from South Karnataka. Demanding the party to ensure justice to S R Patil, he said, the issue of injustice to North Karnataka will also be raised at the Congress legislature party meeting.
However, sources in Congress said the disgruntled group of legislators was keen to make a last-ditch attempt to get some more share in the cabinet which is likely to be expanded soon. But a top party leader disclosed in Belagavi that the expansion of the cabinet will not take place. He said the exercise could further add to the problems of the party as it was impossible to accommodate several of the disgruntled MLAs who often resorted to ‘threatening tactics.’
Will cabinet expansion happen?
Deputy CM G Parameshwara said in Belagavi on Thursday that he will be heading to New Delhi on December 21, the last day of the winter session, in connection with the cabinet expansion. He said the party will take a call on whether to have the cabinet expansion or not after the meeting in New Delhi.