BENGALURU: Leader of Opposition in Assembly, R Ashoka on Tuesday said many legislators facing allegations were inducted into the cabinet, and it is clear that CM did not have the freedom to choose the ministers.
He said Congress MLA B Negendra, who went to jail in the alleged financial irregularities in the ST Development Corporation, has been inducted into the ministry. He said Rs 187 crore looted from the corporation was used in the elections, and the then CM Siddaramaiah had admitted in the Assembly that there were irregularities.
Who gave Nagendra a clean chit, asked Ashoka. Many districts and communities are not represented. Some MLAs and their supporters are protesting, and Congress workers even abused the CM with unparliamentary words, he said.
Ashoka said Shivakumar has become a rubber-stamp CM. There is no novelty, same faces and the same corrupt people have been brought back, and it is not a cabinet, but a payment list, he said.
The Congress high command that speaks about women’s empowerment before the elections has not given an opportunity to even a single woman. Muslims, who are 12%, have been given three seats and women, who are 50%, have been given zero seats, he said.
Ashoka and Leader of Opposition in the Council Chalavadi Narayanswamy slammed the Congress leadership for mentioning the names of the Assembly Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Council Chairman and Vice-Chairman on the party letterhead. He said they have treated it like a list for appointing employees and Congress should apologise to the people of the state.