Race on for Cabinet berths as KPCC chief told to quit ministry

Congress legislators belonging to Dalit, Lingayat and Kuruba communities are vying for ministerial berths in the council of ministers, which will have three vacancies once G Parameshwara quits as home minister on Thursday.

Currently, two berths are vacant — one created after the death of H S Mahadeva Prasad and another due to the resignation of H Y Meti on charges of his reported involvement in a sex CD. While Prasad was a Lingayat, Meti belongs to the Kuruba community. The Congress high command has asked Parameshwara to resign as minister. Parameshwara is a Dalit, and he is likely to resign as the home minister on Thursday. 

On Wednesday, the chief minister did not indicate when he would fill up vacancies.P M Narendraswamy, Motamma (both Dalits), P M Ashok, Mohana Kumari, Dr A B Maalakaraddy, D B Inamdar, Basavaraj Shivannavar (all Lingayats), Meti, H M Revanna, Govindappa, C S Shivalli,  MTB  Nagaraj (all Kurubas), are among the aspirants for the ministerial posts. The CID recently gave a “clean chit” to Meti on the sex CD issue and hence, he has been trying hard to get back to the council of ministers, sources in the state Congress said. 

Speculation is rife in party circles that Siddaramaiah may keep the home portfolio as he will lead the party in the 2018 Assembly elections. It is also said that Bengaluru Development Minister K J George is keen on becoming home minister again. He was holding the home department portfolio till October 2015 and made way for Parameshwara.

It is also speculated that the chief minister may give one more representation to Vokkaligas in his Cabinet instead of a Dalit as a replacement for Parameshwara. For, Vokkaligas had been complaining that the community had not been given adequate representation in the Cabinet. 

The late Mahadeva Prasad was a Banajiga Lingayat. Mohan Kumari, widow of late Mahadeva Prasad, and Ashok are Banajiga Lingayats. Siddaramaiah had, during the byelection to the Gundlupet Assembly constituency, said Mohana Kumari will be made a minister if she is elected. He, however, later denied having said it.  Parameshwara told reporters on Wednesday he was not hurt that the party asked him to quit the ministerial post. “I welcome the party’s decision. The high command has reposed faith in me and asked me to continue as the KPCC president,” he stated.