Cabinet expansion: Siddaramaiah recommended Mahadevappa and Sait, but not Zameer, says Yathindra
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah appears to be under pressure over the non-inclusion of some leaders, especially those from Mysuru, in the Cabinet expansion earlier this week
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah appears to be under pressure over the non-inclusion of some leaders, especially those from Mysuru, in the Cabinet expansion earlier this week. The exclusion of senior leaders and former Ministers Tanveer Sait and H.C. Mahadevappa, both from Mysuru, has not gone down well with their supporters, who have tacitly blamed the former Chief Minister for the omission. On Thursday, the former Chief Minister’s son and Urban Development Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah took pains to explain to presspersons that T. Narsipur MLA H.C. Mahadevappa’s name had “topped the list of 14 names” recommended by his father for inclusion in the Cabinet. Siddaramaiah had recommended Dr. Mahadevappa’s name both when the Ministry was first sworn in three months ago and during the recent expansion.
However, the Congress high command did not consider his candidature this time, opting instead for P.M. Narendraswamy as the new face from the Dalit Right group, he said. Zameer not recommended Yathindra also revealed that Mr. Siddaramaiah had not recommended Zameer Ahmed Khan, MLA from Chamarajpet, for a ministerial berth. Though si time Narasimharaja MLA Tanveer Sait could have been considered for one of the two ministerial berths reserved for Muslims, the Congress high command preferred Mr. Zameer Ahmed Khan, he said. Clarifying that Mr. Siddaramaiah had no role in keeping Mr. Tanveer Sait out of the Ministry, Dr. Yathindra said the senior leader missed out “solely because the high command preferred Mr. Zameer Ahmed Khan”.
However, party sources claimed that Siddaramaiah had not recommended Mr. Sait’s name either, and that the two shared frosty relations. The Congress is abuzz with speculation over the exclusion of two senior leaders from Mysuru and the role of the former Chief Minister in promoting his son. On his own inclusion in the Ministry, Dr. Yathindra claimed that his appointment had not come at anyone else’s expense. He also denied that Siddaramaiah had directed MLC Gayathri Shantegowda not to take the oath. “Did Ms. Gayathri say so?” he asked. On his father’s absence from the oath-taking ceremony, he insisted that the former Chief Minister was not upset. “It was his birthday, and several people, including ministers who took the oath, came and greeted him at his residence,” he said.
Commenting on the absence of Brahmin representation in the Cabinet, Dr. Yathindra said that whenever a Cabinet is formed, leaders try to strike a balance between caste, region, and old and new faces. “Some people will have to be left out during such an exercise,” he said, adding that Brahmins would be considered for other posts in the coming days. “All communities will be represented,” he assured.
The BriefWire