BENGALURU: The buzz that the Congress high command has instructed Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar not to entertain lobbying of any kind by ministerial aspirants has come as a shock to over 60 MLAs aspiring to make it to the state cabinet during its expansion that is likely to happen in the first week of July.
There are 20 ministerial posts vacant in the Shivakumar cabinet. Shivakumar was sworn in as CM along with 13 legislators as ministers on June 3.
“To avoid any embarrassment to the party and the State Government, the Congress high command on Wednesday gave a series of instructions to Shivkumar on lobbying by aspirants,” an informed source told The NewIndian Express.
The source, however, did not confirm who called Shivakumar over phone and gave the instructions.
The source noted that in the recent past, several protests by supporters seeking cabinet posts for their leaders, lobbying by religious heads and swamijis and meetings by several camps have been widely reported in the media, embarrassing the party.
The source said the Congress top brass will decide on the expansion at an appropriate time. “There will be zero tolerance towards those lobbying for ministerial berths. Any kind of unwanted developments in this regard will be seriously viewed by the party,” sources privy to the phone conversation said. The Chief Minister was also told not to entertain groups of leaders, MLAs and MLCs coming in batches seeking a place in the cabinet, sources added.
“Former ministers Dr HC Mahadevappa and BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan had allegedly sponsored protests by their supporters to exert pressure on the party high command. This triggered others to protest as well, and it turned out to be mass hysteria. The supporters of Ron MLA GS Patil had even taken out a padayatra from Siddaganga Mutt to Bengaluru, who were stopped at Nelamangala.
However, they congregated at the Congress office, following which Shivakumar addressed them. Indi MLA Yasvant Rayagouda Patil’s supporters had also staged a demonstration outside the CM’s residence,” a party insider told the TNIE.
Recently, the religious heads of over 200 dargahs met Shivakumar, demanding that MLC Saleem Ahmed, who hails from the Kittur Karnataka region, be made a minister.
Former ministers Dr HC Mahadevappa and K Venkatesh, and MLAs Hamapangouda Badarli and AS Ponnanna have accompanied Siddaramaiah to Kochi, where they are staying at a resort belonging to Energy Minister KJ George. This has added to the theory that the Siddaramaiah camp might have discussed a strategy to exert pressure on the high command to take more of their MLAs into the cabinet, sources added.
But Shivakumar, who tasted his first electoral success as Chief Minister in the recent MLC polls, is likely to have an upper hand in the cabinet expansion.
