Murmurs in Congress over 5-year term for HDK

www.mangaloretoday.com

Bengaluru, June 6, 2018 (TOI): Even as Congress and JD(S) put up a show of unity after hectic negotiations over portfolios, there are murmurs within the grand old party over the terms of the coalition. The Congress high command’s decision to give chief minister HD Kumaraswamy a full five-year term has not gone down well with many seniors and the rank and file in the party.

Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun M Kharge is learned to have voiced his concern over the terms of agreement reached between the two coalition partners. AICC general secretary and Karnataka incharge KC Venugopal had on Friday announced that Kumaraswamy would enjoy a five-year term and that the party would have a pre-poll alliance with JD(S) for the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

At a meeting of KPCC office-bearers and frontal organisations here on Saturday to introspect on the party’s performance in the assembly polls, KPCC president G Parameshwara is reported to have said that Congress being a national party too did not want to align with JD(S) initially. However, in the interest of the nation and to keep BJP out, it had to be done, he reportedly said.

Setting the coalition baggage aside, Parameshwara later told reporters that Congress would soon begin the exercise of deciding who to induct in the cabinet. He said there was a view that those who had been ministers twice should be kept out.

If that parameter is considered, seniors Ramalinga Reddy, RV Deshpande, HK Patil, MB Patil, Tanveer Sait and R Roshan Baig may not stand a chance. An exception is likely to be made in the case of KJ George as he is the lone person representing the Christian community.

All four women MLAs in Congress are first-timers and given party chief Rahul Gandhi’s emphasis on more representation to women, the tie is said to be between Laxmi R Hebbalkar a Lingayat, and Roopa Shashidhar, a Dalit. Sources said by giving the ministry to Roopa, the party would fulfil the requirement of accommodating a woman, a Dalit of the left sect and keep her father, Kolar MP KH Muniyappa, in good humour. Among the Muslims names doing the rounds are BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan and Raheem Khan.