Senior Congress MLAs D K Shivakumar and R Roshan Baig were sworn in as cabinet ministers on Wednesday, amid discontent among senior party leaders aspiring for ministerial berths.
Governor H R Bhardwaj administered the oath of office and secrecy to the leaders at a simple function at Raj Bhavan.
Portfolios are yet to be allotted to the newly inducted ministers. As the inclusion of the duo, who are allegedly facing corruption charges, triggered dissatisfaction within the party, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met the disgruntled lot in an attempt to pacify them before the swearing-in ceremony.
Dr A B Maalaka Raddi, K B Koliwad, Basavaraj Rayareddy, C S Nadagouda and N Nagaraj are among the MLAs who attended the meeting held at chief minister’s residence “Kaveri.”
Though Siddaramaiah appeared to have managed to soothe ruffled feathers for now, the disgruntled leaders are understood to have decided to raise the issue at an appropriate party forum. “He said that the expansion was done as per the party high command’s diktat. We will raise the issue (of not inducting other senior MLAs) within the four walls of the party,” Maalaka Raddi told reporters.
He also said the dissatisfied MLAs had decided to raise the issue when AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Digvijay Singh would visits Bangalore on January 6 to chair the coordination committee meeting. However, a majority of the dissatisfied leaders attended the swearing-in ceremony. The chief minister is learnt to have assured them that they would be appointed heads of important boards and corporations.
Not just a section of senior leaders, Siddaramaiah himself was said to be reluctant to induct Shivakumar and Baig. He is learnt to have told the party high command that it would work against the party in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls as they are facing corruption charges.
