Know your new ministers

Roshan Baig

District: Bangalore Urban
Constituency: Shivajinagar
Age: 60 years
Family: Married, two daughters, one son
Educational qualification: BCom
Community: Muslim

Political experience: A six- term MLA, who was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1985 and was appointed as the Minister of State for Fisheries, Ports and Wakfs by the then chief minister Ramakrishna Hegde.Baig also commands immense influence over the Muslim community irrespective of his party affiliations. In the undivided Janata Dal government (1994-99), Baig was Minister of State for Home and Tourism. In 1999, he joined the Congress and was made the Minister of Tourism and Small Scale Industries.

In 2004, Baig had to resign as minister following his  brother Rehan’s alleged involvement in the multi-crore fake stamp paper scandal and since then, he has been out of power. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had initially not inducted Baig into the Cabinet following land grab and fraud case against him.

The complaint against Baig is that in 2006 he bought a 1.1-acre plot in Begur Hobli, on the outskirts of Bangalore, from Keonics for a paltry sum on the pretext that he wanted to start a small-scale industry. He, however entered into a joint development agreement with Prestige Group for the construction of a commercial complex.

D K Shivakumar
District: Ramanagara  
Constituency: Kanakapura
Age: 51 years
Family: Married, two daughters, one son
Educational qualification: MA (Political Science)
Community: Vokkaliga

Political experience: A six-term MLA, he has been a member of the Legislative Assembly since 1989. Known for his organisational skills, Shivakumar was the Minister of State for Prisons and Home Guards  in S Bangarappa’s Cabinet (1991-92). In 1999, S M Krishna made Shivakumar Oooperation minister and later gave him the Urban Development portfolio.

He shared a close relationship with Krishna and still continues to do so. Shivakumar’s political rivalry with Deve Gowda and his sons is quite legendary. Gowda ensured that Shivakumar was not given any ministerial position in the JD(S)-Congress coalition government (2004-2006). Shivakumar’s business interest ranges from running educational institutions, cinema  exhibition and mining.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had initially not inducted him into the Cabinet following the allegation that he had paid a sum and lifted high-grade ore from mines owned by the state-run Mysore Minerals Limited. He also has an illegal land denotification case filed against him.

His proximity to the central leadership eventually secured him a Cabinet berth.