Listen to JD(S) or separate: Revanna to Cong

The fracas between coalition partners Congress and JD(S) over the contentious appointments to statutory boards and corporations intensified on Monday, with Public Works Minister H D Revanna giving an ultimatum to the Congress.

“If they (Congress) don’t want to listen to us (JD-S) with regard to boards and corporations, they can go their way and we will go our way,” said Revanna.

The minister was reacting to Congress leaders taking exception to Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy holding up a few appointments.

On Sunday, Kumaraswamy approved appointments of 14 MLAs as chairpersons to statutory bodies and eight legislators as parliamentary secretaries. The Congress had recommended appointments to 19 boards and corporations and nine parliamentary secretaries.

A day after the appointments, Congress legislature party leader Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara and KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao said they would take up the matter with Kumaraswamy directly.

Chikkaballapur MLA D Sudhakar hit out at the JD(S) for “grabbing” all important posts.

The Congress leaders are upset that Kumaraswamy has held up appointments of MLAs T Venkataramaiah (Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd), N A Haris (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) S N Subbareddy (Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation), S T Somashekar (Bengaluru Development Authority) and K Sudhakar (Karnataka State Pollution Control Board).

Revanna hit back at Sudhakar for attacking his family. “Who is Sudhakar to talk about the Deve Gowda family?” he said.

Siddaramaiah told reporters in Hubballi, “I don’t know why the chief minister hasn’t approved some of the names suggested by the Congress. I will talk to him”.

Though upset with the development, Rao said the two parties would resolve the issue via talks. “The two parties had jointly prepared the list. I don’t know why certain names have been dropped. I will hold discussions with the JD(S),” he said.

Parameshwara said he would request Kumaraswamy to clear the other names soon. “The chief minister has not rejected the names suggested by the Congress. While some names have been approved, some haven’t. Till date, he hasn’t said anything about rejecting any names suggested,” he said.

Sudhakar has demanded that his party leaders clarify why his name was dropped from the list.“I have been repeatedly targeted. I never asked to be appointed to boards and corporations. Instead I had batted for Subbareddy. But the party announced my name. The Congress high command should clarify why the chief minister dropped my name,” he said.

The Congress leaders are likely to take up the matter with AICC general secretary K C Venugopal on Tuesday.