BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar will hold a series of meetings from Monday with ministers and legislators to boost coordination between district in-charge ministers and MLAs.
On Monday, the CM will hold talks with district in-charge ministers of Tumkuru, Yadagir, Chitradurga, Bagalkot, Ballari and Dharwad districts. The meetings will held from 11 am to 2 pm and 4 pm to 7 pm. This is the first such meeting by the CM and Deputy CM after they received complaints from legislators, especially senior MLAs, in the recently held Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting in Bengaluru.
Sources in the party said ever since the government was formed in May this year, there has been indifference between party leaders, ministers and also among MLAs. A few of them, including Aland MLA BR Patil, former minister Basavaraj Rayareddy and others wrote to the CM demanding better coordination. The situation had even turned ugly, putting the party into embarrassment.
The CLP meeting too did not yield any results. “This is why the CM and party leaders decided to address the matter. The meeting will also have MLAs from districts along with district in-charge ministers,” sources said.
Sources also said there is dissatisfaction among MLAs over constituency grants which is likely to be addressed. They will also focus on transfers of officials which has been an issue. In a day-long meeting, Siddaramaiah is likely to address indifference among them. It can be noted that two groups, one supporting Siddaramiah and the other Shivakumar is creating more friction. “Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, it is challenging for the Congress to show unity. The CM will meet all MLAs and district in-charge ministers in the next few days,” sources said.