Karnataka: in fresh problem for Congress, loyalists demand cabinet berths

Bengaluru, May 29: Efforts by Congress leaders to mollify rebels with the offer of cabinet berths has created a new problem for the party, with some party loyalists questioning the decision which they say is “unfair and unjust”. Some loyalists even threw their hats in the ring for ministerial berths on Tuesday, questioning why they shouldn’t be made ministers if rebels were being rewarded.

MLAs Ajay Singh, V Muniyappa and even H Nagesh, the independent MLA from Mulbagal, made no bones about their desire to become ministers. Singh even questioned the decision of party bosses to reward rebels with cabinet berths.

“The party should consider rewarding loyal MLAs. But unfortunately rebels are being rewarded,” he said while speaking to reporters in Kalaburagi. He also claimed that he was contacted by BJP leaders to switch sides, but being a loyal Congressman he will not leave the party.

Muniyappa and Nagesh met chief minister HD Kumaraswamy in Bengaluru with a request to make them ministers. Nagesh was accompanied by water resources minister DK Shivakumar, who returned from his Australia tour late on Monday night.

“As Gandhi said not to speak, listen and hear bad things, I have decided not to speak anything on the ongoing political developments,” Shivakumar told reporters when asked about dissidence within the party. Incidentally, Shivakumar had triggered some of the problems for the coalition government by interfering in Belagavi district politics. This had caused Ramesh Jarkiholi to rebel.

Besides Ajay, Muniyappa and Nagesh, Jarkiholi, BC Patil, B Nagendra and Bheema Naik are also in the race to become ministers.

Meanwhile, Kumaraswamy reached out to two Congress MLAs from Bengaluru, ST Somashekhar and Byrathi Basavaraj, assuring them that he would fulfil their demands. The CM is said to have agreed to the demand of Somashekhar, who is chairman of the Bengaluru Development Authority, to replace the commissioner Rakesh Singh at the development authority. Somashekhar, the Yeshwantpur MLA, is involved in a running feud with the commissioner. The CM also reportedly sanctioned Rs 10 crore to KR Puram, Byrathi Basavaraj’s constituency.

The CM’s gesture comes in the wake of complaints by many Congress legislators that Kumaraswamy is inaccessible to them.