Janata Dal (Secular) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday met Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to invite them for the swearing-in ceremony of the coalition government in Bengaluru on Wednesday and finalise the details of the government formation , including ministerial berths.
Sources confirmed to The Hindu that the final deal would be hammered out on Tuesday in Bengaluru but the Congress is likely to get the Speaker’s post, besides the two deputy Chief Minister posts it is seeking, given that its numbers are double that of the JD(S). The parties are also likely to set up a coordination committee and draft a common minimum programme.
“I wanted to show my respect and regards to the Gandhi family. That’s why I came here. I requested their presence at the oath-taking ceremony, and both of them agreed to be present,” Mr. Kumaraswamy, Karnataka’s Chief Minister-designate, told reporters outside Mr. Gandhi’s residence after the meeting.
“Rahulji cleared the modalities to be done. He has given permission to Karnataka general secretary K.C. Venugopal to discuss all those matters and finalise everything,” was the JD(S) leader’s response, when reporters asked him if the Congress had demanded two Deputy Chief Minister posts and the Speaker’s position from his party.
Meeting cordial: Rahul
To dispel any impression of a discord, Mr. Gandhi took to Twitter to talk of a ‘cordial’ meeting.’
“I had a warm and cordial meeting this evening, in Delhi, with Shri H.D. Kumaraswamy ji. We discussed the political situation in Karnataka and other matters of mutual interest. I will be attending his swearing-in as CM of Karnataka, on Wednesday, in Bengaluru,” Mr. Gandhi said on Twitter.
For the Congress, the government formation exercise will be a fine balancing act . While the party wants its fair share and, at least, half-a-dozen ministerial berths more than the JD(S), it also wants to project itself as a party willing to accommodate regional players with an eye on an anti-BJP front ahead of the 2019 battle.
Before Mr. Kumaraswamy called on Mr. Gandhi and his mother, senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ashok Gehlot, along with the party’s Karnataka in-charge, Mr. Venugopal, briefed the Congress president on government formation efforts.
None spoke on record but a section of the Karnataka Congress is believed to be pressing for two deputies to Mr. Kumaraswamy, along with the post of the Speaker.
Apart from the party’s Dalit face G. Parameshwar being the front-runner, many believe that the position of Deputy CM should also be offered to a Lingayat leader. Senior leader D.K. Shivakumar is also a contender for a plum post as a reward for his role in keeping the Congress-JD(S) flock together ahead of last Saturday’s floor test. To prevent anyone from switching over to the other side on not being given a ministerial position, the original plan was to swear in only the Chief Minister on Wednesday. The rest of the Cabinet was expected to take oath only after Mr. Kumaraswamy wins the trust vote, likely to be held within a day of the swearing-in.
This is likely to be changed as Congress sources confirmed to The Hindu that the party wants the oath-taking ceremony to be a “joint affair” between the Congress and the JD(S).
