Express News Service
BENGALURU: The cabinet expansion that took place on Wednesday was the outcome of two-week-long efforts by leaders of Congress. Hours of discussions, dozens of meetings, multiple flights to Delhi and half a dozen permutations and combinations later the Congress picked 15 legilsators, including an independent, to take oath as ministers.
While AICC general secretary K C Venugopal had a huge role to play in the selection of ministers, it was former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM G Parameshwara and senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge who were the decision makers before the list went to the party’s central leadership – this explains the disappointment Siddaramaiah’s loyalists are expressing over not being included in the ministry.
“It was a long and difficult process but I have spoken to every MLA individually in the last three weeks,” said Venugopal, explaining the process through which ministers were selected. It took Venugopal, his five secretaries and state leaders like Kharge, Parameshwara and Siddaramaiah to prepare the minister’s list taking into account various caste equations, district representations and voter sentiment. Discussions were held with legislators individually, caste-wise, seniority-wise as well as region-wise separately before names for the cabinet were shortlisted.
“The party put forth three conditions. Firstly, new faces would be included in the cabinet. Second, an assessment of each minister’s performance would be carried out every six months. If there is a need, the minister will be changed. Third, we will keep six berths vacant so we can accommodate more people in the near future,” said Venugopal. Senior leaders like D K Shivakumar, Dinesh Gundu Rao and R V Deshpande were consulted to draw up the names.
“Rahul Gandhi met at least 9-10 state leaders while finalising the list. The names were not decided by the high command but by state leaders,” Venugopal said. Shivakumar, the prominent Vokkaliga legislator who was entrusted with the responsibility of keeping the Congress’ herd together, visited Delhi multiple times in the last three weeks but said he had no role to play in the cabinet selection. “My opinion was sought on a few names and I gave it. But the decision was taken by our state and central leaders. I had no role to play,” he said.
While dissent is brewing within, the Congress is confident that its 3-point agenda of expansion will help quell it and pacify disgruntled MLAs.While murmurs of Siddaramaiah’s confidantes being sidelined is making the rounds, the party insists that the list was a collective decision. “The Congress list is a mixed bag of caste, district, community as well as coalition compulsions,” is how a senior Congress leader chose
to describe it.
