BENGALURU: AICC General Secretary, Karnataka in-charge, Randeep Singh Surjewala here on Monday met ministers, which has been interpreted as an exercise to evaluate their performance ahead of the likely cabinet reshuffle after November.
Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh, who are seen as close associates of Siddaramaiah, Municipal Administration Minister Rahim Khan and Primary and Secondary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa met Surjewala.
Surjewala’s meeting with MLAs first and now ministers has not gone down well with the Siddaramaiah camp, as they see it as an exercise to assess the legislators’ mood on changing the chief minister. That was why Siddaramaiah asserted in Delhi that he will be CM for five years, analysts said.
After meeting Surjewala, Byrathi Suresh said, “The state in-charge is not here for evaluating our performance, but to take note of development works we have implemented and to appreciate us. There was not a single complaint against me by MLAs.”
Zameer said, “Surjewala was impressed by my work and remarked that I deserve a reward.” The minister said he had clarified to Surjewala that deputy chairman of State Planning Commission BR Patil’s allegations of bribery in sanctioning of houses are against gram panchayat presidents and not him.
Rahim Khan said he was asked whether he was accessible to MLAs. “Surjewala had gathered all the information on his own and asked me to solve issues of MLAs,” he said.
Vijayanagara MLA HR Gaviyappa and others from Kalyana Karnataka had complained about disparities in grants. Surjewala had called the Kalyana-Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDP) Chairman and Jewargi MLA Dr Ajay Singh and asked him to settle the issue. Surjewala discussed Shivamogga MLAs’ complaints against Madhu Bangarappa that the minister was not cooperative, a source said.