From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Jan 8: AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka K C Venugopal has asked Congress-JD(S) coalition co-ordination panel Chairman Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwara to hold discussions with Chief Minister H D Kumraswamy on appointments of Congress legislators to boards and corporations.
Venugopal, who spoke to both the senior Congress leaders on Tuesday, has assigned the task of resolving the issue to Dr Parameshwara and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Both leaders are expected to call on Kumaraswamy and ask him to clear the names of six legislators for appointments to boards/corporations as withholding their names after being cleared by the Congress high command has caused unnecessary heartburn among the Congress legislators.
The ruling Congress party in the state had submitted a list of 19 legislators to be nominated for boards and corporations. But Kumaraswamy cleared 14 names and withhold 6 names without offering convincing reason. This has angered the legislators of the ruling coalition partner Congress.
The Congress party has decided to support the Narendra Modi government’s decision to provide 10% reservation to ‘economically backward’ candidates belonging to upper castes.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on Tuesday, Venugopal said: “Congress welcomes the Modi government’s decision to provide 10% quota for economically backward candidates of all castes in government jobs and admissions in aided and unaided schools and colleges.”
While endorsing reservation for economically poor classes irrespective of caste, Venugopal questioned the timing of the announcement of the decision with barely 100 days left for the Modi government’s term to end.
He questioned the intention behind the Modi government and sought to know where all the jobs earlier promised were.
Asked about the dissidence among legislators on the appointments to boards and corporations, Venugopal said he had spoken to MLAs who had expressed their anger against the JD(S) leadership.
“We will sort out all problems amicably,’’ he added.