Why appoint parliamentary secretaries, Gowda asks CM

JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda on Saturday questioned Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s “intention” behind appointing 10 parliamentary secretaries despite having a full-fledged Cabinet.

Going on the defensive when asked about the differences within his party, Gowda pointed fingers at the State Congress and wondered how the Congress high command had approved the appointment of parliamentary secretaries in such large numbers.

“I want to ask the chief minister why he needs 10 parliamentary secretaries. He has a full-fledged establishment.

I want to ask how the Congress high command approved these appointments. This was done only to appease the disgruntled MLAs (who were not inducted into the Cabinet),” he said.

He said Kumaraswamy, too, had appointed parliamentary secretaries as chief minister. But he had done so as he had become the chief minister for the first time. Siddaramaiah, on the other hand, is a seasoned politician and an administrator, he said.

Admitting that there were “small differences” in his party, he, however, said there was “internal democracy” in his party.

He had himself held conciliatory discussions with the disgruntled MLAs, including Magadi Balakrishna and N Cheluvarayaswamy, and had succeeded in placating them.

Gowda, who held a meeting with the BBMP corporators and Deputy Mayor Hemalatha Gopalaiah at his party office on Saturday, said his party would not give tickets to aspirants of the ZP and TP polls, if they failed in the membership drive.

The party will organise a women’s convention on November 15 to felicitate its women corporators.