After show of resentment from the Congress camp over some of their suggestions for the posts of chairman of boards and corporations not being cleared, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday appointed four Congress legislators for the posts.
With this, Congress nominees have been appointed for 17 boards and corporations. The Chief Minister is yet to clear the names of two leaders recommended by All India Congress Committee president Rahul Gandhi.
While Shantinagar MLA N.A. Haris has been appointed as chairman of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), Yeshwanthpur MLA S.T. Somashekar has been appointed as chairman of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA). Bagepalli MLA S.N. Subba Reddy has been appointed as chairman of the Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation, and Hubballi-Dharwad West MLA Abbayya Prasad will head Dr. Babu Jagjivan Ram Leather Industries Development Corporation. Mr. Kumaraswamy has not yet cleared the names of Chickballapur MLA K. Sudhakar, and Doddaballapur MLA Venkataramanaiah.
The Congress had recommended Mr. Sudhakar for the post of chairman of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and Mr. Venkataramanaiah for chairman of the Karnataka State Road Development Corporation.
Mr. Sudhakar told The Hindu , “The party high command has cleared my name and it is now up to the Congress to give me the post.”
Mr. Sudhakar said the party’s State unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao should take up the issue and provide an explanation for the delay in clearing his name. “Being a MLA I have my responsibility in the constituency. I leave the issue of chairmanship of the KSPCB to the party,” he said.
K.C. Venugopal, AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka, did not discuss the issue with him during his visit to Bengaluru on Tuesday, said Mr. Sudhakar.
Asked about suspension of his supporters by Mr. Rao, Mr. Sudhakar said suspension was not the solution. Some of his supporters were suspended on Tuesday for staging a protest demanding KSPCB chairman’s post to Mr. Sudhakar.
