No discontent on appointment of district in-charge Ministers: K’taka CM

PTI, Jan 25, 2022, 2:00 PM IST

Bengaluru:  Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said there is no discontent among his cabinet colleagues following the appointment of district in-charge Ministers, and that he has spoken to all of them before and after carrying out the exercise.

The Chief Minister’s statement came even as few Ministers stopped short of openly expressing their displeasures over them not being assigned their home districts.

”I have spoken to everyone (Ministers) before appointing them as district in-charge Ministers and after that as well. It is our party’s national policy that Ministers should be made in-charge of other districts, not their own,” Bommai said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said the appointments have been made after detailed discussions with every one.

”No one expressed any kind of disgruntlement, there is no such thing….. I have spoken to all Ministers, there is no question of discontent. We are all together as one and have decided to work for the people and we are working towards it…. the talks about disgruntlement or discontent is far from truth,” he added.

Almost six months into his government coming to office, Bommai on Monday had allocated districts among the Ministers of his Cabinet, of which they will be in-charge, while keeping the key Bengaluru urban district with himself.

Effecting a complete change from the previous B S Yediyurappa-led BJP government, the Chief Minister has not assigned any minister their home districts under which their Assembly constituency comes.

While at least two senior ministers- Revenue Minister R Ashoka and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy have not been assigned any districts; three Ministers- B C Patil, K Gopalaiah and Shankar B Patil Munenakoppa have been allocated two districts each.

Noting that he would have been happy if he was made in-charge of Tumakuru, his home district, Law Minister Madhuswamy said, he himself has opted out of being Minister in-charge of any other district.

”When it is the party’s decision that home districts should not be allocated to any Minister, there is no question of discontent, but I’m not in a position to work in any other district which I don’t know, just ahead of election…..I decided to stay away from it,” he said.

Another Minister MTB Nagaraj, who is made in-charge of Chikkaballapura district said, as he has represented a constituency that comes under Bengaluru rural district and understands the pulse there, it would have been better he was made in-charge there, but as it is the decision of CM and party leadership, he will abide by it.

Meanwhile, responding to Congress leaders Siddaramaiah and D K Shivaumar’s claims that several leaders from other parties, especially from BJP are in touch with them, Bommai said, there is no question of anyone going out from the saffron party.

”It shows the amount of insecurity the Congress is facing, there is a fight between two leaders (Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah) there, there is a series coming out every month claiming who is with whom in their party, as a result of it they are making such claims,” he said.

”There is no question of anyone going from the BJP, they (few leaders who are now Ministers in BJP govt) have come here stating that they don’t want Congress, so there is no question of going there…..I don’t want to comment on certain political developments that are taking place, but you will see things, wait for few days, you will see how BJP will get strengthen politically,” he added.

Siddaramaiah today reiterated that few BJP and JD(S) leaders are in touch with him and he would not reveal their names.

Senior BJP legislator Basanagouda Patil Yatnal too on Monday had claimed that some MLAs and Ministers, especially those who joined the saffron party from other parties, are in touch with the Congress leadership, and will jump ship, once the 2023 assembly poll schedule is announced.