Bengaluru: Just why has Chief Minister Siddaramaiah not accepted home minister Dr G. Parameshwar’s resignation? Sources in the government told Deccan Chronicle that Dr Parameshwar would continue to hold the portfolio of home till the end of the ongoing legislature session.
Reason.
The upper House has two representatives in the cabinet, including the home minister. “If Mr Siddaramaiah decides to accept the resignation of Dr Parameshwar, then planning and statistics minister M.R. Seetharam has to take over the position of leader of the House in the Legislative Council. As per convention, a member of the House who is also a senior cabinet minister, occupies the position of leader of the upper House. In this case, Mr Seetharam declined to take up the post as it involves a lot of work. Mr Seetharam, however, urged the Chief Minister to allocate a key portfolio. When Mr Seetharam refused to accept the new responsibility, the Chief minister had no option but to continue with Dr Parameshwar as he did not want to break the convention, and facilitate a minister who is a member of the lower House to take over as leader of the Council,” the sources added.
On June 1, Dr Parameshwar submitted his resignation letter to Mr Siddaramaiah following a decision by party’s top leaders that he should continue as the president of KPCC but give up his position in the cabinet.
At a meeting chaired by party vice-president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on May 29, the top brass decided not to effect a change of guard in the KPCC in view of elections to the Legislative Assembly next year.
