Bengaluru, Sept 3: “Ask Parameshwara (state Congress president) about it.” This is how Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reacted on Saturday on seeking to know the reason for Parameshwara not attending the swearing-in ceremony of new ministers on Friday.
Initially, Siddaramaiah sought to downplay the issue, saying that the KPCC chief could not attend the ceremony as he was away in Delhi. But when media persons pointed out that Parameshwara was very much in Bengaluru on Friday, a visibly upset chief minister asked media persons to pose the question to the state Congress president.
Parameshwara and many senior Congress leaders kept off the ceremony as they were upset with Siddaramaiah for not taking them into confidence while selecting candidates for expanding the council of ministers. Siddaramaiah decided to induct Gundlupet MLA Geetha Mahadeva Prasad, who is the widow of late H S Mahadeva Prasad, instead of Tiptur MLA K Shadakshari. It was done without informing the state Congress president and other senior leaders of the state unit, sources in the state Congress said.
Parameshwara is also upset with Siddaramaiah’s decision to make former union minister C M Ibrahim a MLC in the recently held byelection. The KPCC chief was lobbying to get the seat to his close follower G C Chandrashekar.
Sources said a majority of the leaders who attended Friday’s ceremony were close followers of Siddaramaiah. Many senior party leaders and Cabinet ministers, including Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa and Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, kept themselves away from the ceremony held at Raj Bhavan. Shivakumar was eyeing at the Home portfolio, but the chief minister chose to give it to Ramalinga Reddy.
Parameshwara was, however, not available for comments. Shivakumar denied that he was upset with the chief minister. “I am not upset with anybody. I am a straight fighter. There is no confusion in the party,” he told reporters.
The kidnapped schoolboy was rescued by the police and reunited with his parents. Son of a gift shop owner from Basavanagudi area in Bengaluru, Chirag has reportedly told police that decided to make some quick money to spend on cricket betting and gambling after learning kidnap tricks from the ‘Crime Patrol’. According to police, Chirag reached a private school around 3pm on Tuesday on a Bounce rental bike and zeroed in on a fourth standard student who was walking out of school. He told the boy he was his father's friend and that he required help to search for a relative who had gone missing. The boy believed Chirag and rode pillion on the bike. Chirag then engaged the boy in conversation and learnt about his father's business and got his mobile phone number. He then made a call to the boy's father, demanded Rs 5 lakh and warned him against approaching cops. However, the boy's father alerted Cottonpet police and special teams were formed to crack the case. While Cottonpet inspector Venkatesh TC's squad verified CCTV footage in and around the school, Chamarajpet inspector BG Kumaraswamy's team started tracking the suspect's mobile phone movements. An hour later, the suspect's location was traced to a hotel on the Lavelle Road-St Mark's Road stretch. Police rushed there, rescued the boy and arrested Chirag.
Comments
Silence is better infront of media till election
Good reply from CM. He trying to avoid unwanted issues. Media need to know the reason and they wanted to make that issue bigger.
Rubbish. He is the CM. He is prominent cong lHe should know the reason. He always downplays
If need to know the reason, should ask to parameshwara, not to cm
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