BENGALURU: Swarmed with complaints of stepmotherly treatment in the coalition government from party workers, Congress has stepped in to set things right. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president Dinesh Gundu Rao has written letters to Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara and coordination committee chief Siddaramaiah asking for a proportional representation of both Congress and JD(S) workers in taluk and zilla-level committees.
The Congress party wants the government to make appointments on a 2:1 basis depending on the party that legislators of the taluk or zilla belong to.
"Taluk and zilla-level forums like Akrama-Sakrama committees, land tribunals etc need to be restructured after the new government has come to power. The government, while making appointments to such committees, should ensure it is more convenient to Congress and JD(S) members," KPCC chief Dinesh Gundu Rao's letter says.
Rao has suggested that appointments be made on a 2:1 basis depending on the MLAs of the respective taluks and zillas. In regions where there are more Congress MLAs, the party wants two-third representation to be from the Congress and one-third from the JD(S) while it can be inverse in the case of a region where there are more JD(S) MLAs.
In the case of regions where there are MLAs of the BJP, the Congress has suggested that the same formula should be implemented depending on which party stands second.
Rao has appealed to the Chief Minister to take his entire cabinet into confidence and ensure implementation of the suggestion. Every minister, Rao has suggested, should ensure that more Congress and JD(S) workers are appointed to such committees to assert their support and encouragement to party workers.
The letter comes in the backdrop of Congress workers and legislators alike crying foul over not being given importance in the coalition government.
Many in the Congress, ministers included, have made several complaints against lack of coordination and being taken for granted by their JD(S) counterparts in the coalition government. Keeping in mind the upcoming bypolls to three Lok Sabha and two assembly constituencies where Congress and JD(S) are putting up a joint fight, the parties are working towards wooing their workers.
"It (appointments) helps workers gain confidence in the coalition government. Boards at the taluk and zilla-levels will accommodate members engaged in social workers," said Dinesh Gundu Rao asserting that the letter was only a formal approach for an 'in-principle' agreement between the coalition partners.