Some districts could not be given representation in the Ministry as a criterion was fixed that only those who had won more than one term would be inducted, said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday.
After the swearing-in of 24 Ministers at the Raj Bhavan, he explained, “Kodagu, Haveri, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, and some other districts did not get representation because we followed a certain criterion. For example, the two MLAs in Kodagu district are first-timers. Hence, it was not possible to provide representation.”
Mix of old and new
Explaining the nature of the Cabinet, the Chief Minister said it was a mix of new and old faces and there was representation to all sections of society.
“We have filled all 34 berths of the Cabinet within 15 days of forming the government to help in good governance. We are going to get on with working towards keeping our word on the five guarantees,” he said. “The government should fulfil the promise we have made. People want change.” He added that the Cabinet was formed with a view of giving new shape to the administration.
Hits back at Opposition
Hitting back at Opposition parties that have been attacking the government for not implementing the “guarantees”, he said, “We have fulfilled our promises in the past. We will continue to do the same in future. Officials have been instructed to table details of the five guarantees in the next Cabinet meeting. We will chalk out a plan accordingly. They will be discussed, approved, and implemented soon.”
He added that the BJP, which had “never kept its poll promises”, had no moral right to attack a newly sworn-in government within days of taking charge without giving time to put processes in place.
