JOIN USBarely two months after coming to power, trouble has started brewing in the ruling Congress. A group of senior Congress leaders is learnt to have urged AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Digvijay Singh to make KPCC president G Parameshwara deputy chief minister.
The leaders, mostly old-timers, are understood to have met Singh late on Tuesday evening and tried to convince him of the need for recognising the contribution of Parameshwara, who lost the Assembly election from Koratagere. It is said that a memorandum signed by about 50 office-bearers of the total 107 was also submitted to Singh.
But, there was no official confirmation in this regard. Interestingly, none of these leaders went on record on creating a parallel power centre in the government.
However, Singh, it is learnt, has not assured anything to the leaders who met him.
He is learnt to have said that coordination committee, in states where the Congress is power, is headed by the State party chief and the manifesto implementation committee is headed by the chief minister. Both the committees have to coordinate properly and provide good governance. This would be the norm in Karnataka too, he is learnt to have said and, asked Parameshwara and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to draw the list of names who should be on the panels.
Later, reacting to a question by the media in this regard, Singh said some of the leaders have urged him to make Parameshwara the deputy chief minister.
But, it is an internal matter of the party. The issue will be discussed in the party forum and appropriate decision will be taken, he added.
Janata parivar factor
Singh, at the same time, said Siddaramaiah is a backward classes leader and there is a lot of expectations from him. He has been running the government well and the party is hopeful that he will continue with the good work. The leaders have been asked to coordinate.
The old-timers in the party are upset because “migrants” who originally come from the Janata Parivar, including Siddaramaiah, have got the lion's share in the government.
They were unhappy with the portfolio allocations as all those who have been given plum posts were close to Siddaramaiah.
Besides, Siddaramaiah's announcement of popular schemes on the first day of assuming office did not go down well with the senior leaders. They, as a result, complained that there was lack of coordination between the party and government.
Though the party high command finally announced setting up of a coordination committee, the old-timers appear to be not satisfied.
The intention of the move, according to these leaders, is to send across a message to the party high command that all is not well in the State party. It is also aimed at highlighting the gap between the party and the government.
Report sought on minister
Digvijay Singh is learnt have asked Parameshwara to submit a detailed report on the controversy related to Minor Irrigation Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi. Singh sought a report after a section of leaders complained to him against the minister.
Tangadagi is in the eye of a controversy over the transfer of Koppal deputy commissioner Tulsi Maddineni.
Tangadagi is said to have pressured Siddaramaiah to transfer her for ordering the demolition of a bungalow built by the minister's brother Nagaraj on an allegedly encroached land in Koppal district.