Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Aug 27: If some political analysts are to be believed, Karnataka chief minister (CM), Siddaramaiah, has been dilly-dallying in the matter of inducting three ministers into the ministry as he has been unable to maintain a semblance of balance between different castes and at the same time, accommodate his close confidante, C M Ibrahim.
There had been information that the Congress high command had given its nod for the three names recommended by the CM for being made ministers. However, in later developments, there are indications that Siddaramaiah has been trying to add Ibrahim to his ministry by dropping a Lingayat leader. This move is being resented by some ministers who are Lingayats and other party workers, it is learnt.
The names which were approved by the party high command were of H M Revanna, who belongs to Kuruba community, R B Thimmapur or Narendraswamy from dalit community, and Shadakshari, who represents Lingayat community. After long debate on the issue of factions within the dalit community, it was said that Siddaramaiah had taken a decision to choose Thimmapur over Narendraswamy during ministry expansion.
Reports say that Lingayat ministers are unhappy at the move of the CM to induct Ibrahim in place of Lingayat candidate. It is said that because of this imbroglio, the issue of ministry expansion has not taken place as scheduled. Lingayat ministers are disturbed at the attempt being made by Siddaramaiah to deny ministerial berth to their community for accommodating CM's own close friend, although in the past he had been claiming that he would fill vacancies on the basis of castes and groups to which they were earlier allotted. The ministers reportedly told the CM that the party might face severe backlash from the Lingayat community if it is deprived of ministerial position.
Alternatively, The CM, it is learnt, also considered the option of dumping H M Revanna of Kuruba community in order to be able to induct Ibrahim into the ministry but the thought that Kuruba community, of which H Vishwanath was a strong leader, has deserted the party, depriving Revanna of the berth as promised has the risk of invoking anger of Kurubas. Therefore, it is said that the CM is biding time with the hope that some solution will emerge that will enable him to give the post of a minisiter to Ibrahim.