Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (MS)

Bengaluru, Jun 15: Though the cabinet expansion exercise is done despite threat and public protest by the dissidents, the situation still seems to be like a volcano awaiting to erupt any time.

The senior leaders of Congress and JD(S) had resorted to cabinet expansion in a bid to save the coalition government from collapsing due to the dissidence that was brewing among the MLAs of the party. The leaders of both the coalition partners in the government have acted smart by including only the independent MLAs into the cabinet and not giving any ministerial position to the MLAs from both the parties.

It is said that in the Congress party, there are more MLAs who are very unhappy with this move. However, they are not venting their anger at present and waiting for a suitable time to show their frustrations. Even Ramalinga Reddy, B C Patil and Dr Sudhakar, who had given public statements demanding ministerial berths, have maintained silence after the cabinet expansion. The silence of long-time dissident Ramesh Jarkiholi is also mysterious and there is a feeling among the leaders of the Congress party that all this dissidence may erupt in open any time from now on.

Though most of the Congress MLAs do not have any interest to continue in the coalition government, they are not confident of winning again, if a mid-term poll in the state were to be held. For the same reason, though many Congress MLAs have identified themselves with Ramesh Jarkiholi, they are holding themselves from resigning from the party. It is said that the leaders of coalition have cashed in on this situation of the dissident MLAs and expanded the cabinet without taking any elected MLAs form either of the parties.

BJP is also not responding in a positive manner to the dissident MLAs of the Congress party. It is learnt that only four to five Congress MLAs are with Ramesh Jarkiholi and they also are not ready to resign. On the other hand, BJP has also decided to take the next step only if there are more than 15 MLAs, who are ready to resign from their position.

It is also learnt that the state BJP is postponing the activity of bringing down the coalition government as the first parliamentary session of the newly formed Modi government is going to be held and any activity of destabilising the coalition government in the state would send a wrong signal throughout the country.

Many Congress MLAs have expressed their anger over making independent MLA R Shankar who won on KPJP ticket as minister. He had defeated former speaker K B Koliwad in the assembly elections that were held last year. However, in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, his supporters had voted for BJP. So it is not right to have made him minister is the opinion of district Congress leaders.

The Congress leaders are mulling of offering the president post of Pollution Control Board and KMF to Chikkaballapur MLA Dr Sudhakar and B C Patil, who are openly expressing their anguish against the party. It is learnt that the party is thinking of asking the current president of Pollution Control Board Jayaram to resign and offering that position to MLA Sudhakar. Similarly, the party leaders of Congress are thinking of making B C Patil or any other dissident as president of KMF, the post which is lying vacant now, and put an end to the dissidence in the party.