Bengaluru: Out of power for more than a decade and seeing a steady depletion of his ranks and the exit of several senior leaders, it was but natural for CM H.D. Kumaraswamy to be more than accommodative on the Congress demands for ministerial berths and plum portfolios. But the big question is whether in bending over backwards, he encouraged Congressmen to make unreasonable demands inviting trouble for himself and the JD(S) in the process?
There are many in the JD(S) and even in the Congress who feel so. What made his coalition partner, particularly home grown Congressmen more assertive was the painful fact that though the party was in power from 2013-18, it was the recent entrants including former CM Mr Siddaramaiah and his loyalists who called the shots. Only a few original Congressmen could get proper positions with even leaders like Dr G Parameshwar, Mr D.K. Shivakumar and Mr M Krishnappa forced to lobby hard with the high command to get inducted into the cabinet. Mr Siddaramaiah chose to rule with a close coterie, which widened the gap between the original and migrant Congressmen.
With the former CM now relegated to the sidelines, senior Congressmen started bargaining with the high command for lucrative portfolios. Sensing this and the fact that Vokkaliga strongman Mr D.K. Shivakumar who had made peace with Mr Kumaraswamy after the elections, could still rock the boat, if his interests were compromised, the JD(S) decided to ensure an inclusive coalition offering as many as 20 ministerial berths to the Congress, taking only 14 for itself.
