Bangalore: KPCC president Dr G. Parameshwar confirmed on Tuesday that he and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah discussed the advantages and drawbacks of an expansion of the cabinet, but could not arrive at a final decision.
Speaking to media persons after releasing booklet on flagship programmes and achievements of the Congress-led UPA government, he said “even though it is the prerogative of the CM to take a call on this issue, we have been continuously discussing this matter and whether such an exercise should be carried out before or after the next general elections. But, we have not arrived at a firm conclusion. We need to discuss these issues with central leaders before taking a firm decision.”
He reiterated that evaluation of the performance of ministers would be conducted soon, and would be completed ahead of Lok Sabha elections in 2014. "AICC vice president Rahul Gandhi is very particular about the exercise. He has specifically asked both of us (himself and CM) to conduct this exercise before the Lok Sabha elections,” he added.
He said the AICC was yet to finalise the guidelines for assessment of the performance of ministers. In response to a question, Dr Parameshwar clarified that there was no conflict with Governor H.R. Bhardhwaj.
"He (Governor), being the constitutional head of the government, has the right to direct his government in the right direction. Going by his statements, none can find any fault as they are just positive remarks and in some rare cases he criticised in a proactive manner.”
