HDK to expand his ministry on June 6

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy will finally expand his council of ministers on June 6 as the alliance partners — JD(S) and the Congress — arrived at a consensus on sharing of portfolios on Friday.

The Congress conceded and agreed to give away the Finance portfolio — which had become a bone of contention between the two partners — to the JD(S). Kumaraswamy will hold the portfolio.

There had been intense bargaining between the two parties for the plum Finance portfolio. The Congress relented after its president Rahul Gandhi intervened and spoke to JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda on Friday morning.

Also, the Congress agreed that Kumaraswamy can continue as Chief Minister for the full five years. Lobbying for ministerial berths by aspirants is likely to intensify in the coming days. The JD(S) and the Congress have agreed to share the ministerial berths in the ratio of 12:22.

Congress will have Home, Water Resources, Bengaluru City Development, Revenue, while JD(S) has got Public Works, Power, Cooperation, Transport among others. (See box). Addressing a press conference with his deputy G Parameshwara on Friday, Kumaraswamy said the swearing-in of the new ministers will happen on June 6 at 2 pm as Governor Vajubhai Vala will not be in Bengaluru till the previous day.

Vala will be in New Delhi to attend a meeting of governors. Earlier in the day, Kumaraswamy and Parameshwara called on Vala at Raj Bhavan.

The consensus comes nine days after Kumaraswamy took oath as chief minister on May 23.

AICC General Secretary in charge of Karnataka K C Venugopal said the Congress decided to give away the Finance portfolio on instructions from party president Rahul Gandhi and in the “interest of people”. The coalition government will not only complete its full term but provide a stable government, he added.

The two parties have also set up a five-member ‘Coordination and Monitoring Committee’ to ensure smooth functioning of the coalition government. Former chief minister Siddaramaiah will head the panel. The committee will meet at least once every month. A ‘common agenda for governance’ based on the manifestos of both parties will be prepared and presented before the people, he said.

All appointments to statutory boards/corporations will be cleared by the coordination committee.
The two parties have put their agreement in black and white in the form of a signed document. The agreement was signed by Venugopal and JD(S) national general secretary Danish Ali.

Sharing of portfolios

The JD(S): Information, Intelligence, Planning and Statistics; Finance and Excise, PWD, Power, Cooperation, Education (excluding Medical Education), Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, Horticulture and Sericulture, Small Scale Industries, Transport and Minor Irrigation. The Congress: Home, Water Resources, Bengaluru City Development, Industries and Sugar, Health, Revenue/Muzarai, Urban Development, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Agriculture, Housing, Medical Education, Social Welfare, Forest and Environment, Labour, Mines and Geology, Women and Child Welfare, Food and Civil Supplies, Haj, Wakfs & Minority Affairs, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Science & Technology, IT&BT, Youth and Sports, Kannada and Culture, Ports and Inland Transport. CM bans mobiles at meetings Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Friday issued strict directions to officials not to carry mobile phones to official meetings. The CM, in a letter to Chief Secretary K Ratna Prabha, has taken exception to officials fiddling with phones at meetings.”