Cabinet expansion: Cong-JDS panel to take call on Dec 5
Bengaluru, Nov 30: The coordination committee of the ruling Congress-JDS coalition will meet here on December 5 and decide on the much-awaited cabinet expansion, its chief Siddaramaiah said Friday.
Also, Siddaramaiah, a former chief minister, along with state Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao rejected reports about disgruntled Congress MLAs planning to skip the coming legislature session.
Siddaramaiah, who is the Leader of the Congress legislature party, said Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy will be invited to a CLP meeting likely to be held on December 8 so that the MLAs can take up issues concerning their constituencies.
"We will expand the cabinet at the earliest. On December 5 we have called a coordination committee meeting, where we will discuss all issues - when to expand the cabinet... We will discuss in the meeting and take a decision," he told reporters here.
His comments come a day after Rao said the JDS-Congress ministry would be expanded before the winter session of the state legislature commencing on December 10.
Replying to a question on why Kumaraswamy, a JDS leader, was being invited to the CLP meeting, Siddaramaiah said: ...this is a coalition government, whom should MLAs tell about the issues concerning their constituencies- it is te Chief Minister. So we will invite him to the meeting."
According to sources, the decision to invite Kumaraswamy has been made as there is growing discontentment among the Congress legislators about the functioning of the government and alleged discrimination towards them in development works.
Siddaramaiah termed as "baseless" and "not true" reports that some disgruntled Congress legislators were planning to camp in Mumbai ahead of assembly session from December 10 under state Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi's leadership.
Gundu Rao also termed the reports as "rumour".
"No one will go, cabinet is getting expanded, we will appoint heads to boards and corporations...this is a rumour, no one is going, government is stable and we will conduct the session effectively," he said.
Earlier in the day, Jarkiholi himself denied the reports and claimed attempts were being made by some "self proclaimed influential party leaders" to damage his image.
The reports came amidst growing clamour among Congress legislators for expansion of the cabinet at the earliest and their alleged discomfort regarding the functioning of the government.
According to the pact reached between the two partners at the time of formation of the coalition government in May, there are now six vacant ministerial positions left for the Congress and two for the JD(S).
This will be the second expansion of Kumaraswamy's ministry, who currently heads the 26-member cabinet.
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BJP slams move to make CM Siddaramaiah as RDPR varsity chancellor replacing Guv
Bengaluru (PTI): Opposition BJP on Friday condemned the government's move to make the chief minister the chancellor of the Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) University replacing the governor, terming it as an attempt to pollute the higher education system.
State BJP president B Y Vijayendra said this attempt to cut down on the powers of the governor is a conspiracy to upset the constitutional system.
The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday approved a bill, according to which the chief minister will be appointed as the chancellor, replacing the governor at the RDPR University in Gadag.
The governor is the chancellor for all public universities in Karnataka.
Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot currently holds the post.
"With a good intention that politics should not mix in education and as per the intent of the constitution, the Governor who is also the constitutional head of the state is the chancellor of the universities. But the government led by Siddaramaiah (CM), which is engaged in a series of corruption, by abusing its existing powers, is trying to pollute the higher education system," Vijayendra posted on 'X'.
He said the government's move will allow "unnecessary political interference" in the field of rural development studies.
"The Congress government, which has been impatient towards the governor since the beginning, sees him as an enemy to cut down on the powers, and it is a conspiracy to upset the constitutional system. This move of the state government is highly condemnable," he added.
Earlier in September, the cabinet, at a meeting held in Kalaburagi, decided to divest the governor of the power to appoint the vice-chancellor of RDPR University.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil on Thursday defended the government's move and said, "It will make the university more active and quick decisions will be taken...this system is there in many states, including Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh."
