Bengaluru: The meeting of the all powerful co-ordination committee of the JD(S)-Congress coalition on Friday saw a resurgent former CM Siddaramaiah ensuring that the demand for inducting his bête noire and JD(S) state president A.H. Vishwanath was scuttled. He also reportedly wrested an assurance from Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy that arbitrary transfers of government officials would not happen and his pet scheme, Anna Bhagya, would not be tampered with by cutting grain allocation.
Sources said the subject of inducting Mr Vishwanath and KPCC president Dinesh Gundurao into the co-ordination committee was broached by JD(S) general secretary Danish Ali. A visibly irked Siddaramiah reportedly snubbed Ali stating that all leaders who were part of the co-ordination committee, were representatives of their respective parties and therefore, there was no need to induct fresh faces.
“It is a fact that Vishwanath, who is considered politically shrewd, knows how to counter each argument in such crucial meetings. With Siddaramaiah involved in a running feud with Mr Vishwanath, it will be difficult for him to dominate meetings with the former Mysuru MP around. Hence Siddaramaiah did his best to block his entry into the committee and has succeeded for now," a Congress party source disclosed.
Speaking to DC, a close associate of Siddaramaiah jubilantly remarked that the former CM had shown Mr Kumaraswamy who the boss is. “Congress leaders were peeved over the high handedness of minister Revanna in carrying out both intra and inter department transfers. This had become a bone of contention between Congress and JD(S) leaders.
Mr Kumaraswamy tried to justify the transfers saying they were the sole prerogative of the CM but it did not cut much ice with Siddaramaiah who argued that such a right prevails if one is the CM of a single party government, not in a coalition.” “Siddaramaiah argued that the coalition dharma has to be followed and department heads (ministers) must be kept informed about any such changes in the bureaucracy to which Mr Kumaraswamy has agreed,” the source added.
