BENGALURU: The Congress high command is stepping in to put an end to the sense of instability that has erupted between coalition partners Congress and JD(S). Apart from reassuring Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy about the grand old party’s commitment of unconditional backing for the full five-year term, the party high command is also preparing to contain the dissidence within Congress by effecting the much-delayed expansion of the ministry and appointments to boards and corporations.
AICC General Secretary in charge of party affairs in Karnataka, K C Venugopal, is arriving to tackle the problem. A meeting of the coalition coordination committee will be convened on August 31. It will discuss the frequent hiccups being caused by a section of Congress leadership, including head of the coordination committee Siddaramaiah himself, sources in the state Congess told The New Indian Express.
Venugopal will hold meetings on September 1 and 2 with Congress leaders, MPs, legislators and district Congress committee heads on the party’s preparations for the Lok Sabha elections. The meetings have been scheduled just before Siddaramaiah leaves for a 10-day tour of Europe on September 3.
Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said here on Tuesday, “The performance of Congress ministers too could come up for discussion. The party top brass has instructed for evaluation of the performance of our ministers every six months. Internal assessment is already on.”
Venugopal is set to send a strong message to Congress leaders not to indulge in any act that could destabilise the coalition, sources said.
Party high command, which had promised to expand the ministry after Ashada month and the Urban Local Body polls, is set to act on its promise. It is expected to give its nod for induction of three or four ministers.
“The appointments to 20 boards and corporations could happen by September 15 and expansion of cabinet a little later,” a source said. The names of M B Patil, Sangamesh, Shivalli, S T Somashekar, Sudhakar and M T B Nagaraj are doing the rounds as possible candidates for induction into the ministry.