BENGALURU: Karnataka BJP leaders slammed the Congress leadership over the delay in cabinet expansion, alleging that the state’s leadership was being humiliated by the party high command and that governance had suffered as a result.
State BJP president BY Vijayendra accused Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of repeatedly making CM DK Shivakumar and other Congress leaders wait in Delhi for approval of the ministerial list. LoP in Assembly R Ashoka termed Shivakumar a “rubber-stamp CM” and alleged that key departments remained without ministers even as the state was reeling under drought and the Cauvery water crisis.
Ashoka said that Shivakumar “is the weakest and most helpless CM Karnataka has ever seen”. “Key departments emain without ministers, leaving the administration paralysed. People in the state are reeling under drought and the Cauvery crisis,’’ he said.
Calling Rahul ‘’incompetent’’, Ashoka said for the former, political game matters more than welfare of people. Ashoka said as the CM, Shivakumar allowed 40-45 ministerial aspirants to wait in the streets of Delhi and outside the Congress top brass’ residence for the past week like helpless petitioners which is nothing but humiliation.
Ashoka said even after nearly two months of taking oath as the CM, Shivakumar was still waiting outside the doors of the high command in Delhi seeking permission to expand his cabinet. “This is an insult to the 7 crore people of Karnataka. Kannadigas will never forgive the state administration and development being sacrificed for the whims of your party high command,” he said.
Vijayendra accused Rahul of humiliating Karnataka’s elected leadership by delaying the cabinet expansion.
BKH refutes BJP charges
KPCC president BK Hariprasad refuted opposition BJP allegations that the entire government is in New Delhi to discuss cabinet expansion and governance has been neglected. He said only the CM was in Delhi, and all other ministers are in Bengaluru engaged in their duties. The CM was in New Delhi to hold a meeting with all party MPs and Union Ministers to discuss central assistance to the state, he said.