Ministers are united, committed to work: Karnataka CM on defection buzz

'It is the national policy of our party to assign the districts which are not the native district of the ministers,' he said

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday dismissed reports of disgruntlement among Cabinet ministers over allocation of district duties.

Districts have been allocated to ministers based on a party policy that bars them from being in charge of their native districts, Bommai said.

"There is no disgruntlement at all," Bommai said, adding that he had consulted all ministers before allocating district duties. "We are all united to work for the people of the state. Any reports on disgruntlement are far from truth."

The government issued a notification Monday allocating districts to ministers.

While two ministers - Revenue Minister R Ashoka and Law Minister JC Madhuswamy - are not on the list, no minister has been made in charge of districts where their constituency is located. Ashoka wanted Bengaluru Urban whereas Madhuswamy had sought for Tumakuru.

Also Read: Karnataka CM Bommai appoints district in-charge Ministers, keeps Bengaluru urban to himself

BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel also maintained that there is no disgruntlement among Cabinet ministers over allocation of districts. "There is a national rule that prevents a minister from taking charge of his home district," he pointed out.

Earlier in the day, however, Municipalities Minister MTB Nagaraj said he would have liked Bengaluru Rural. He has been given Chikkaballapur. "I am familiar with Bengaluru Rural. And, since I'm hoping to contest from (Hoskote), it would have helped if I was given that district. I've told the CM what I think about this. I'll stick to whatever he decides," he said. Nagaraj, now an MLC, was earlier the Hoskote MLA.

Madhuswamy said that he is not unhappy while making it clear that he wanted no other district other than his native Tumakuru. "The CM discussed the issue with me. When he asked me which district I want, I said I can't take up the responsibility of a district I'm not familiar with. There's no point in presiding over meetings in a place whose realities I won't know. Even Ashoka took the same stand," he said.

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