Bengaluru: Desperate times clearly call for desperate measures. Afraid that some of its unhappy legislators could make a beeline for the BJP after its resounding victory in the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress held a breakfast meeting with its ministers on Thursday to reportedly warn them that a few may have to “sacrifice” their posts to accommodate the rebel MLAs in the H.D. Kumaraswamy ministry. But far from being convinced, the ministers present were unhappy at the idea and warned it could boomerang on the party, according to sources.
Besides the Congress ministers, present at the meeting were AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka affairs, K C Venugopal, CLP leader, Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister, Dr G Parameshwar and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president, Dinesh Gundurao.
Explaining the strategy to prevent the rebels in the party from joining the BJP, Mr Venugopal and Mr Siddaramaiah told the ministers they would have to make way for them to prevent the collapse of the one-year-old coalition government, according to sources.
The ministers were, however, said to be very upset at the idea as although they had been legislators for many years, they had only now got an opportunity to join the Cabinet and warned that the party's attempt to appease the disgruntled legislators could boomerang on it. They reportedly argued that the move would also signal that the high command was weak in the face of dissidence.
Going by sources, the ministers suggested that the government put on hold the Cabinet reshuffle for a few months , fill up the three existing vacancies and only ask senior ministers, who had enjoyed power for many years, to make way for the dissatisfied legislators.
Mr Venugopal, is however, learnt to have informed them that they may have to prepare for the "sacrifice" in the interest of the survival of the coalition government. He is said to have told them persuasively, “Please be mentally prepared and don't get disheartened.”
