Bengaluru: The much-awaited expansion of the six-month-old ministry to fill up six vacancies in Congress quota will take place on Saturday following a formal go-ahead by party president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Friday.
Sending a clear message that central leaders will not tolerate indiscipline, municipal administration minister Ramesh Jarkiholi who had raised the banner of revolt, will be dropped. However, his brother Satish Jarkiholi would be inducted into the Council of ministers. While forest Minister R Shankar will also be axed, Kannada and culture minister Dr Jayamala Ramachandra was retained after general secretary in-charge of Karnataka affairs, K C Venugopal, batted in her favour on grounds that she has been the lone woman minister in the cabinet.
Those who would be inducted into the cabinet are: Mr C S Shivalli and Mr M T B Nagaraj, both kurubas, Mr E Tukaram and Mr P T Parameshwar Naik, both scheduled tribe, Mr R B Timmapura, scheduled caste (left), Mr Satish Jarkiholi, scheduled tribe and Mr Rahim Khan, Muslim quota. There has been fight among Mr M B Patil and Mr B C Patil in the lingayat quota and one of them would be inducted into the cabinet. After the meeting, KPCC President Dinesh Gundurao said the swearing in ceremony would be held at Raj Bhavan on Saturday evening but declined to disclose the names of new ministers saying that an official list would be issued by the AICC on Saturday afternoon.
Trouble in store?
The cabinet expansion is likely to create a storm in the Congress circle for neglecting veteran leaders like Mr H K Patil, Mr Ramalinga Reddy who had expected their induction into the Cabinet. To pacify Mr Ramalinga Reddy, the party had appointed his daughter and Jayanagar MLA Soumya Reddy as parliamentary secretary. Mr H K Patil would be upset as his seniority had been neglected. Those who had been unable to make into the Cabinet are likely to start embarrassing the party. Mr Siddaramaiah has achieved an upper hand by getting his two supporters and kurubas, Mr Nagaraj and Mr Shivalli into the ministry. Dy CM G. Parameshwar had bargained hard for Mr Tukaram, Mr Parameshwar Naik and Mr Timmapur. The KPCC chief was successful in getting rid of Mr Ramesh Jarkiholi who had become a head ache for Congress after open revolt against the state leaders.
