Karnataka Cong leaders may visit Delhi over cabinet berths

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara today indicated that Congress leaders from the state were likely to visit New Delhi to discuss the list of ministers and portfolio allocation with the party high-command, ahead of the June 6 cabinet expansion in the southern state.

"Whether we are going (to Delhi) today or tomorrow, I am not sure. The information is that (Congress president) Rahul Gandhi will arrive today (from abroad). Once he is back, he will call us, we will go then," Parameshwara, who is also the state Congress chief, told reporters here.

Both the parties in the ruling coalition in Karnataka -- the Congress and the JD(S) -- have announced a power-sharing agreement, under which the portfolios to be held by each partner have also been mentioned.

Under the agreement, the Congress would get the Home, Irrigation, Bangalore City Development and Law and Parliamentary Affairs portfolios among others.

The portfolios of the JD(S) include Finance, Excise, Information, Intelligence, Public Works Department, Power, Cooperation, Tourism, Education and Transport.

According to Congress sources, several senior party leaders with ministerial aspirations are camping in Delhi amidst reports that those who served as ministers for long may be deputed for party work and new faces would be accommodated in the cabinet.

Responding to a question in this regard, Parameshwara said, "There is no such discussion...."

He added that there were opinions that those who had been ministers for long should not be given ministerial berths and new faces should be given a chance as despite winning elections on multiple occasions, they had not got the opportunity.

The high-command would look into such suggestions while deciding on portfolio allocation, Parameshwara said.

Hectic lobbying for ministerial berths is also on in the JD(S) camp and a few senior party MLAs are reportedly upset over H D Revanna, son of party supremo H D Deve Gowda, lobbying for two portfolios, including Energy.

Parameshwara also ruled out any differences with the JD(S) on selecting the district in-charge ministers, especially in the old Mysuru region.

JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy and Parameshwara were sworn in as chief minister and deputy chief minister of Karnataka respectively on May 23.

On S R Patil resigning from the post of Karnataka Congress working president, Parameshwara said the senior leader had not discussed the matter with him.

Stating that he was not aware of the reasons for Patil's resignation, he said, "I will talk to him and find out why has he resigned. What I have come to know is that he was unhappy about some party workers staging a protest in front of his house in Bagalkote."

Patil had yesterday said he had tendered his resignation, owning moral responsibility for the party's "unsatisfactory performance" in last month's Assembly polls in north Karnataka.

According to Congress sources, Patil is upset as he was allegedly sidelined during the process of government formation with the JD(S).