Bengaluru: With a poll year, when cops face a tough time staring at him, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is considering handing over the crucial home portfolio to the veteran of many a political battle, forest minister, Ramanath Rai.
The CM has been hunting for a successor to Dr G. Parameshwar after he gave up the home portfolio to retain his post of KPCC president as per a Congress party diktat.
Sources in the CM’s secretariat confirmed to this newspaper that two days ago, Mr Siddaramaiah summoned Mr Rai to his residence and asked him if he was willing to accept the post. A close associate of the CM disclosed that Mr Rai agreed and has left it to Mr Siddaramaiah to take the final decision.
Interestingly, Mr Rai was under attack from the BJP and RSS for his handling of recent law and order problems in Dakshina Kannada district in his capacity as in-charge minister. The violence left two people dead.
The saffron outfits had demanded Mr Rai’s resignation alleging that it was he who aggravated communal unrest in Bantwal.
Due to his interference, the police was unable to take impartial action to check communal clashes, they claimed.
Sources said that if the CM makes Mr Rai home minister, it would be akin to rubbing salt into the wounds of the BJP and RSS, which are already upset with his “partisan attitude” after he reportedly directed Dakshina Kannada police to arrest veteran RSS leader Kalladka Prabhaka Bhat.
A seasoned politician, Mr Rai has been representing Bantwal since 1985 though he lost to the BJP’s Nagaraja Shetty in 2004.
He was minister of state for home in the Veerappa Moily cabinet.
Meanwhile, the BJP swung into action with opposition leader in the Assembly Jagadish Shettar opposing moves to appoint Mr Rai home minister saying he was unable to contain the violence in his home district. Even if Mr Rai is appointed, the “super home minister” will be the minister’s adviser, Kempaiah, he quipped.
