Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Feb 27: The wait of JD(S) legislators for appointments to boards and corporations is finally over. The party has finally yielded to the pressure of the MLAs and offered them different posts. Nine MLAs have been offered the posts of the chairmen of corporations and boards. A former MLA has been made political secretary to the chief minister. At the same time, Congress too has given posts to two of its legislators.
There was disgruntlement within the JD(S) about not giving positions of power to them even after Congress offered posts in boards and corporations to its legislators. H D Deve Gowda had planned to give these posts to workers of the party in order to brighten the election prospects of party candidates. But now the party leaders are apprehensive about the long wait of their legislators adversely affecting the Lok Sabha election's outcome. Therefore, the party has relented and decided to give the posts to its MLAs.
Former MLA, H N Konareddy, has been made political secretary to the chief minster while JD(S) national secretary, Mohammed Zafrulla Khan, has been made chairman of Karnataka State Minorities Development Corporation.
In the past, Congress had nominated Doddaballapur MLA, T Venkataramanayya, as the chairman of Karnataka State Road Development Corporation. Revanna had objected to it as the corporation falls within his department. The chief minister had also withheld his signature for appointment of Congress legislators to several boards and corporations. Kumaraswamy had said after discussions in the coordination committee meeting, that he would clear all appointments except pollution control board. Still, Revanna succeeded in ensuring that no one was appointed to the road development corporation.
Now, Congress MLA, Venkataramanayya, has been given Karnataka State Forest Industrial Corporation instead of road development corporation, and Bheema Naik, who was identified as one of the rebel Congress MLAs, has been given Tanda Development Corporation.
The other JD(S) MLAs who got posts are, Naganagouda Kandkur (slum development corporation), Raja Venkatappa Nayaka (tourism development board), D C Gourishankar (MSIL), B Satyanarayana (KSRTC), Nisarna Narayanaswamy L N (Bengaluru airport planning authority), Dr K Annadani (Devaraj Urs Backward Classes Development Corporation), K M Shivalinge Gowda (Karnataka Housing Board), K Mahadeva (industrial and infrastructure development corporation), Devananda Phulsingh Chavan (CM's parliamentary secretary (primary education), MDr K Srinviasamurthy (parliamentary secretary (cioopeative minster), and K A Tippeswamy, MLA (parliamentary secretary - PWD minister).