Appointments to boards, corporations deferred in K'taka due to Congress infighting

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who filled all the 34 cabinet berths at once after coming to power, is facing difficulty in making appointments to boards and corporations due to infighting in Congress, according to sources.

The meeting held on Tuesday to finalise the appointments remained inconclusive even as the AICC General Secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala attended it.

Sources said Surjewala will come back to "resolve differences" between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar on November 28.

However, a shortlist has been finalised and the high command is expected to intervene in the matter. Though the party leaders maintain that the appointments are deferred due to elections in Telangana, sources said that "serious differences" have cropped up over the issue within the party.

Replying to a query on appointments to Boards and Corporations, Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar said on Wednesday that the party is in discussions with its legislators and leaders.

"I am going along with the Chief Minister to Telangana for campaigning. A final list will be sent to the High Command after another round of meeting with Central leaders who are visiting the State on November 28," Shivakumar said.

Asked if the state Home Minister G. Parameshwara is unhappy about the process of appointment for Boards and Corporations, he said, "The state Home Minister has been on a tour for the last three days. There is no resentment. The media is reading too much into this. The appointments for Boards and Corporations are for the Party members, who have worked hard for the party. There is nothing like my candidate, his candidate or someone else's candidate. Discussions are on to accommodate many senior MLAs who have not been represented in the Ministry."

Rejecting the allegation of the BJP that Congress party is "delaying" the appointments for Boards and Corporations, he said, "We are in the process of making appointments for Boards and Corporations within a few months of coming to power. When did BJP make these appointments? They could not even fill up the four-five Cabinet positions which were vacant till the end. It is like pot calling kettle black."