BENGALURU: Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is likely to visit New Delhi on Sunday evening to seek the intervention of the party high command in resolving the issues of unrest over the recent Karnataka cabinet expansion and the delay in allocating portfolios. Sources in the CMO, however, have not confirmed Shivakumar’s planned visit to Delhi. If his visit is deferred, then the allocation of portfolios is also likely to be delayed further.
On August 3, 19 MLAs took the oath as ministers in the first expansion of the Shivakumar cabinet.
Ahead of the monsoon session of the state legislature starting on August 13, Shivakumar wants these issues to be resolved at the earliest to ensure that the opposition BJP and JDS do not corner the ruling party. The Congress top brass has to address three major issues—filling the vacant cabinet berth to give representation to women, placating Vijayanagara MLA M Krishnappa, and accommodating Byadagi MLA Basavaraj Shivannanavar, a Kuruba leader, whose candidature was pushed by former CM Siddaramaiah.
Krishnappa’s son Priya Krishna, who represents Govindraja Nagar in the Assembly, is camping in New Delhi. He met AICC president and LoP in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, and is awaiting appointment to meet LoP in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, informed sources told The New Sunday Express.
Following the advice of AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, Shivakumar, who held a discussion with Siddaramaiah on Friday evening, is likely to meet AICC general secretary Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala in Delhi. “Ways to resolve the issues will be chalked out. It is to be seen whether Rahul Gandhi intervenes if there is a need to replace one or two ministers with those who are sulking,” a party insider said.
With the crisis still lingering, it remains unclear who the Congress high command will ask to give up the ministerial berth. The 19 ministers inducted during the recent expansion have already hit the ground, visiting the districts assigned to them and assessing the drought situation.
“There were reports that Nagamangala MLA and minister N Cheluvarayaswamy may be asked to resign to accommodate M Krishnappa, also a Vokkaliga. Because Cheluvarayaswamy had served in the Siddaramaiah cabinet for three years. Krishnappa is not new to Mandya as he had served as the district minister during the first tenure of Siddaramaiah as CM,” a source said. Already, Mandya has another minister in PM Narendraswamy.
There was also speculation that Magadi MLA HC Balakrishna, who is also a Vokkaliga, could be asked to give up his ministerial berth. However, Cheluvarayaswamy dismissed the speculation, categorically stating that there would be no change in the Cabinet. Balakrishna, taking a sarcastic dig, said that 30 ministers would have to resign if the party’s interests were to be protected.
Also, party insiders said that Ballari Rural MLA and minister B Nagendra, an ST Nayaka leader, may be asked to resign so that Sanduru MLA E Annapoorna, wife of Ballari MP E Tukaram, can be inducted, by which the ST and the women’s quota issue will be resolved in one go, a source said.
The CBI had filed a chargesheet against Nagendra in the Maharshi Valmiki Development Corporation scam.
Rumours are also making the rounds that Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad may also be asked to resign so that Kalaburagi North MLA Kaneez Fathima can be accommodated. But it is unlikely, as Rizwan is already in Delhi lobbying for a plum portfolio, a source said.
Meanwhile, Shivakumar called on the state’s representative in Delhi, TB Jayachandra, on Friday evening and convinced him to act as protem speaker in the Assembly.
