Dissent within the ruling Congress over the Karnataka Cabinet expansion continued for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, August 4, with several senior MLAs expressing disappointment over being denied ministerial berths and their supporters staging protests across the State.
Supporters of senior legislators Dinesh Gundu Rao, M Krishnappa, Priya Krishna and NA Harris gathered outside the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office in Bengaluru, demanding an explanation from Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and the Congress high command for excluding their leaders from the newly expanded Cabinet.
Similar protests were reported from several constituencies, where party workers blocked roads, burnt tyres and raised slogans against the leadership.
Several former Ministers and Cabinet aspirants claimed that their loyalty to the Congress and to former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had become a reason for their exclusion from the Cabinet.
Amid the growing unrest, legislators Belur Gopalakrishna, Appaji CS Nadagouda, Gayathri Shanthegouda and Annapoorna Thukaram met Shivakumar and sought an explanation for being left out. MLAs from Kolar and Chickballapur districts, which did not secure representation in the Cabinet, also met in Bengaluru and decided to submit a representation to the Congress high command. Some legislators blamed Minister KH Muniyappa for failing to secure Cabinet berths for the two districts.
In an apparent attempt to contain the crisis, AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala is learnt to have spoken to several disgruntled legislators and urged them to remain calm in the interest of the party.
Adopting a firm stance, Shivakumar said there was no question of preventing unhappy legislators from quitting. "If they want to resign, no one can stop them. If anyone submits a resignation, I will accept it within a few minutes," he told reporters.
The Chief Minister appealed for patience, recalling that he too had faced disappointment in the past. He noted that he was not made a Minister during the tenures of N Dharam Singh and Siddaramaiah, while Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara also had to wait for a Cabinet berth. He further pointed out that leaders such as S Bangarappa, Mallikarjun Kharge and Dharam Singh had initially been overlooked but later went on to hold higher offices.
Seeking to reassure disappointed legislators, Shivakumar announced that appointments to State-run boards and corporations would be made soon. He said the tenure of existing chairpersons and members had exceeded the promised two-and-a-half years and fresh appointments would be made after obtaining their resignations. "After that, I will speak to each MLA individually," he said.
The Cabinet expansion also attracted criticism over representation. Congress MLA Nayana Motamma questioned the absence of women in the new Cabinet, saying the party needed to introspect on women's representation and expressing hope that the lone remaining Cabinet vacancy would be filled by a woman legislator.
Responding to speculation that Siddaramaiah was unhappy with the Cabinet selection after he skipped the swearing-in ceremony, Shivakumar insisted there were no differences between them. He said the list had been prepared jointly and that Siddaramaiah, who was celebrating his birthday, had been busy meeting visitors and pacifying disappointed party colleagues. "We are one team and remain united," he said.
The Cabinet composition has also drawn criticism over the absence of representation for Brahmin legislators and for Kolar and Chickballapur districts. Political observers said reported last-minute changes to the list reflected differences between Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah and the Congress high command, with competing preferences influencing the final composition.