Bengaluru: The four-month old H.D. Kumaraswamy survived its first major scare on Tuesday when protracted negotiations between former CM Siddaramaiah and the ‘rebel’ Jarkiholi brothers finally resulted in a face-saving formula which saw the coalition government and more so the Congress party, make major concessions to the Belagavi strongmen.
They included an all important one that former minister Satish Jarkiholi would be made KPCC president in ‘due course of time’ with the approval of the Congress high command, if a second Deputy CM post could not be created to accommodate him. The brothers have also received an assurance that their bête noire— Water Resources Minister D.K. Shivakumar—would be stripped of his responsibility as Ballari district in-charge minister.
The rebellion, which saw a bloc of more than a dozen Congress MLAs owing allegiance to the Jarkiholis- and maybe Siddaramaiah himself-emerge as a pressure group, has blown over for now but they could well resume their pressure tactics if the Congress leadership and the JD(S) fail to fulfil the terms of the deal.
After the meetings with Mr Siddaramaiah and Mr Kumaraswamy, the Jarkiholis told the media that since their demands had been met, they would not indulge in anti-party activity let alone cross over to the BJP to topple the government. Sources said that besides clipping the wings of Mr Shivakumar, the CM and Mr Siddaramaiah have agreed to induct Kudligi Congress MLA A. Nagendra, an ST leader, into the cabinet during the impending expansion.
The other demands which were accepted include the posting of officers handpicked by the Jarkiholis in Belagavi. The government had already transferred the district deputy commissioner and appointed an officer reportedly suggested by the brothers. The Jarkiholis scored a major victory when they wrested an assurance that Mr Shivakumar—who had ensured the election of their rivals during the PLD Bank polls in Belagavi, will not be allowed to take up any role in the district. Legislators close to the brothers will be accommodated in state-run boards and corporations. The turnaround came after the brothers had on Monday evening, virtually decided to cross over to the BJP.
