Winning the assembly elections is part of a battle won for the Congress in Karnataka, as discontent hangs over the Siddaramaiah-led government. The Congress high command may have temporarily quelled internal unrest over the selection of the chief minister, but the process of choosing ministers for the cabinet clearly requires a tough strategy and some firm decisions.
Despite efforts to project a successful partnership between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, it is clear to keen observers that all is not well.
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A former minister of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) joked, “The Congress is acting like a coalition government between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.”
KAN BANEGA MANTRI?
Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar are facing mounting pressure from their loyalists to finalize the cabinet allocation before the coming weekend. Each of them wants to accommodate its own legislators, and they seem to disagree on the selection of ministers.
Amid the controversy, it has been learned that around 22 additional ministers are expected to be sworn in by the end of the week, prompted by growing demands for speedy portfolio assignments. As the government prepares to fulfill its five key promises to the voters, the chief minister and deputy chief minister find themselves compelled to assign immediate responsibilities to these ministers.
Caught in the trap of plurality, the Congress also finds itself in a unique dilemma. With 135 elected MLAs and only 34 ministerial berths, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar are certainly treading carefully.
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Both are battling mounting pressure from their loyalists, all competing for coveted positions in the cabinet. Prominent members of the Lingayat, Banjara, Muslim and Vokkaliga communities have been actively engaged in lobbying efforts, even going so far as to convince the Congress national leadership why they should be included in the cabinet. Also visited Delhi.
Balancing caste and regional representation within the cabinet, while also considering seniority and loyalty, is a major challenge for Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.
Newcomers Vs Experienced Leaders
Adding to this plight is another challenge. A senior Congressman indicated that the high command seems reluctant to include seasoned veterans in the first round of a full cabinet, as they want to reward a section of legislators for their efforts in bringing the party to power and young newcomers. Also want to present the faces. ministers.
The current cabinet currently consists of eight ministers except Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. The Congress high command had cleared the names of MLAs for the initial round of cabinet posts to accommodate a combination of caste, community and seniority. The list of eight names was carefully prepared, including that of the MLAs, which won unanimous approval without any objection from either faction- Siddu or DKS.
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With their respective lists, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar personally visited Delhi, with each leader being given the opportunity to propose their preferred names and provide justification for their inclusion in the cabinet. After intense deliberations and heated debates, both Siddu and Shivakumar were allowed to suggest five names each as their choice for ministers, and the high command would select another 8 to 10 names.
Possible names for ministerial posts include Bairathi Suresh, Krishna Byre Gowda, Laxman Savadi, BK Hariprasad, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Salim Ahmed, Santosh Lad, Tanveer Sait, Dinesh Gundu Rao, HK Patil, Eshwar Khandre and Dr HC Mahadevappa. However, there are also discussions that a large number of ministers may come from the Lingayat community, which voted in favor of the party and contributed significantly to its success in the Kalyana Karnataka region.
What will people think, asks Bommai
The delay in cabinet appointments has given the BJP an opportunity to criticize the ruling party, and former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai was quick to express his concern over the delay in allocation of portfolios.
Seeking a response from Siddaramaiah, the conversation on the floor of the assembly read as follows:
“I am happy that the Chief Minister has presented his ministers in the House; All of them have served as ministers in the past. Congratulations to the Chief Minister and all the ministers, but it would have been appropriate if the Chief Minister had introduced them after allotting portfolios to the ministers. They could have introduced him by saying – “DK Shivakumar is the minister for this…ji Parameshwara is the minister for this…” Why didn’t this happen? This should be done at the earliest. In my opinion, if it is done at the earliest, it would be good,” Bommai said.
Dazed but determined, Siddaramaiah quipped that he would allocate responsibilities at the earliest. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to respond, Siddu asked Bommai a question in return.
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“How long was BS Yediyurappa alone in the cabinet as chief minister? Mr. former chief minister (referring to Bommai), you must have no doubt about our cabinet. They (Siddaramaiah’s eight ministers) will be given responsibility at the earliest.”
In July 2019, the then BJP chief minister BS Yediyurappa served as a one-man cabinet for over three weeks when the BJP assumed power after the collapse of the JDS-Congress coalition regime.
Not wanting to let the verbal duel go on, Bommai retorted that he was alone when Yediyurappa took the oath.
“In your case, the ministers have already taken oath. You have made him a minister and have not assigned any responsibility to him. What will people think,” the former CM asked.
“Nobody will think anything. If you, the opposition, don’t think otherwise, it will be more than enough,” replied Siddaramaiah.
Bommai once again replied that he was speaking on behalf of the newly appointed Congress ministers. Siddaramaiah replied with “Thank you for your suggestion”.
Siddu vs DKS: Shared or Full Tenure?
It is not just the cabinet, but also the statements of the Siddaramaiah camp, which are continuously creating ruckus in the Shivakumar camp.
A recent statement by minister MB Patil, who is closely associated with Siddaramaiah, said that Siddaramaiah would continue as chief minister for the full five-year term. Internally, in a meeting between Sonia Gandhi, Shivakumar and Rahul Gandhi, it was discussed that the Deputy CM should wait for a few years, clear his Income Tax (IT) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) cases and Must be ready to take charge. The reins of government from Siddaramaiah, who would be 78 years old by then. Young Shivakumar could ‘possibly’ lead the state in the next election with him at the helm.
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“DK (as Shivakumar is popularly called) should be given the credit for the Congress victory this time, and he will be rewarded. We have Soniaji’s word on this. We will wait, and it will be a ‘sweet’ wait.”
hijab, halal ban
Another issue that has been troubling the Congress is the repeal of the previous BJP government’s ban on hijab, halal and other communal-based laws. During the campaign for the May 10 assembly elections, the Congress, including Shivakumar, campaigned saying that they would lift the restrictions once they assumed power in the state. Cabinet minister Priyank Kharge also recently reiterated that the Congress is committed to repealing laws banning hijab, halal on superstition and cow slaughter.
Sources reveal that the Congress is approaching the matter cautiously in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The aim of the party is to avoid giving BJP a chance to capitalize on this issue. However, some party leaders believe that the matter should be pursued further, including a proposal to ban Bajrang Dal in the party’s manifesto, which had earlier yielded positive results. According to a Congress insider, a decision on this will be taken soon.
Sources say the party is also looking at implementing its decision to build a 114-foot-tall Christ statue at Kapalbetta near Kanakapura town, which aims to be the world’s largest. Kanakapura is also the constituency of Shivakumar.
As a result of discussions to finalize Karnataka ministers, which reached an impasse on Thursday, crucial meetings between top Congress leaders and their counterparts from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh had to be postponed.