'Appointments row: Convince CM or move on'

All India Congress Committee general secretary in-charge of Karnataka KC Venugopal on Tuesday tasked Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara with resolving the imbroglio over appointments to boards and corporations with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy.

Kumaraswamy on Sunday signed orders for the appointment of Congress legislators to various statutory boards/corporations, but left out five key recommendations made by the grand old party. They are T Venkataramaiah (Karnataka Road Development Corporation), NA Haris (BMTC), SN Subbareddy (Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation), ST Somashekar (BDA) and
K Sudhakar (KSPCB).

Venugopal held talks with Siddaramaiah, Parameshwara and KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao on this
issue.

It is also said that Venugopal discussed the issue with Kumaraswamy over phone. “Kumaraswamy told Venugopal clearly that Venkataramaiah, Haris and Subbareddy have been appointed to corporations that come under the JD(S), whereas Sudhakar was not technically qualified. With Somashekar, the problem was within the Congress,” it is learnt.

Apparently, Parameshwara is not keen on Somashekar becoming chairperson of the BDA, which comes under his Bengaluru City Development portfolio.

Venugopal is said to have asked Siddaramaiah and Parameshwara to speak to Kumaraswamy. If the chief minister does not relent, Venugopal is said to have asked his party leaders to “soldier on” and ultimately convince the legislators as the coalition with the JD(S) is “inevitable” for the Lok Sabha polls.

Speaking to reporters, Venugopal said there are “small issues” between the coalition partners and that they will be resolved. “There is no major issue. There is no threat to the coalition (government),” he said.