Differences in Siddaramaiah Cabinet over demand for more Deputy CMs

Some of the Ministers in the Siddaramaiah-led cabinet have been pitching for deputy chief minister posts to be given to leaders from Veerashaiva-Lingayat, SC/ST and minority communities.

Bengaluru: The demand for more deputy chief ministers to be appointed, revived afresh after the Lok Sabha polls, has created divisions within Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s Cabinet.

Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar is currently the only deputy chief minister. The demand for more deputies is widely seen as a plan to counterbalance Shivakumar.

A day after Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna said more deputies from different communities must be appointed, IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge on Monday remarked: “Let there be one CM and the rest of the Cabinet members be declared DCMs.”

The demand for more deputy chief ministers was raised before the Lok Sabha elections. The likes of Rajanna and Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi argued that lawmakers belonging to Veerashaiva-Lingayat, SC/ST and minority communities must be made deputy chief ministers to help Congress get more votes. 

Priyank, who is also government spokesperson, disagreed with the argument that creating community-based DCM positions would help the party.

“If appointing DCMs could woo communities, then everyone would use this strategy,” Priyank said, adding that there was nothing wrong in demanding more DCMs.

“Will you (media) make it happen? This demand should be made placed before the high command,” he said. “We had the (Lok Sabha) election recently and (Congress) got 4-5 seats less. As ministers, we must introspect on whether or not we carried out our tasks well, and if we have given power to our workers. That should be our work now.” 

“Will you (media) make it happen? This demand should be made placed before the high command,” he said. “We had the (Lok Sabha) election recently and (Congress) got 4-5 seats less. As ministers, we must introspect on whether or not we carried out our tasks well, and if we have given power to our workers. That should be our work now.” 

Law Minister H K Patil declined to comment on the issue. 

Excise Minister R B Timmapur also said there was nothing wrong in seeking more deputy CMs. Asked if he was an aspirant, he said: “Who will say no? Everybody is capable.” 

Apparently, Shivakumar is opposed to having additional deputies, aligning with the Congress high command’s decision that he would be the sole occupant of the post. “The high command will decide on this,” is all that Shivakumar said on Monday. 

Shivakumar’s brother D K Suresh said if placating communities is the logic to have more deputies, then there should be more than three, going up to even five or eight.