Ambareesh gives Cabinet meet a miss

Housing Minister M H Ambareesh on Friday skipped the State Cabinet meeting being held at Kalaburagi.

He said he had to give the meeting a miss because he was in charge of the Rajkumar memorial function scheduled for Saturday. “I am solely responsible for the smooth conduct of the function, so I had to skip the Cabinet meeting. I have conveyed this to the chief minister,” said Ambareesh.

Ambareesh has been cut up with Siddaramaiah and State party president G Parameshwara for not consulting him before members were appointed to boards and corporations.

On Friday, he again expressed his displeasure publicly. “I have no complaints about who is being appointed to boards and corporations. Let them give the posts to their own followers, their own people. I have no objection. But then, why do you have a ministry of 30 people, when you are not consulting them, and taking decisions unilaterally? I have been a Central minister, an MP and presently hold a Cabinet rank. Why do you need us?” he asked.

Ambareesh further said that his followers had expected to be appointed to the boards and corporations. “I’ve been in the Congress party even before  Siddaramaiah joined it. I know very well how to build the base of the party. In these matters (appointments), if we are not taken into confidence, how do we work? My followers expect some status, and hence work for the party,” he said.