Ministry expansion put on the back burner

The exercise is expected to be an ‘acid test’ for Congress and JD(S) in Karnataka

August 18, 2018 12:50 am | Updated 12:50 am IST - Bengaluru

A file photo of Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy meeting Congress MLA M.B. Patil, seeking his cooperation in running the government.

A file photo of Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy meeting Congress MLA M.B. Patil, seeking his cooperation in running the government.

Expansion of the nearly three-month-old coalition government headed by H.D. Kumaraswamy has been put on the back burner with the subject no longer in discussion and all legislators of both the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) playing it cool for the present.

First came the Kannada month of Ashada, during which all auspicious work is avoided, and along with it has come in the elections to the urban local bodies, prompting the Congress and the JD(S) to stay clear of any Cabinet expansion for now. The expansion of the Cabinet is expected to be an ‘acid test’ for the leadership of the Congress and the JD(S), given the demand for ministerial positions and the consequent pulls and pressures, and should it not be handled appropriately, then the government runs the risk of facing serious difficulties.

As such, the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his followers are not well disposed off to the present coalition arrangement and a tiny spark should suffice for a plethora of problems that can follow. The Congress central leadership has had its way with even Mr. Siddaramaiah having been reportedly silenced by AICC president Rahul Gandhi. Reports have it that Mr. Siddaramaiah, who was in New Delhi recently, was told to cooperate for a purposeful functioning of the coalition government. Incidentally, Mr. Siddaramaiah is the chairman of the coordination committee of the coalition government and his key role is to bring about a good rapport leading to a smooth functioning of the government.

The optimum strength of the Karnataka Cabinet can be 34 Ministers, including the Chief Minister, and the present size is 27, including Mr. Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara. Under the present coalition agreement, the Congress is eligible for 22 berths and the JD(S) 12. There are seven vacancies in the Council of Ministers and the demand for Cabinet positions is from nearly 25 legislators. In the normal course, the governing parties could have held out a carrot in the form of chairmanship of the government boards and corporations, but in the present context this will not work since several of the senior legislators have held senior positions in several governments in the past.

In the intense lobbying for Cabinet berths, Congress leaders have leaned on data based on several factors to plead their case before the party leadership, although most of the senior legislators have been kept out for reasons best known to the party’s central leadership. A note on the status of the Karnataka ministry formation from the disgruntled leaders — several of them from north Karnataka — uses data to make the case that the Congress needs to be given greater representation to its legislators from the northern parts of the State.

One of the easy ways for the Congress and the JD(S) to avoid a major trouble could be in avoiding an expansion of the ministry in the present scenario and the exercise of pleasing legislators could be by way of appointment of chairmen for the boards and corporations while simultaneously seeking the support of the senior legislators in keeping the government going. An expansion of the ministry should be contemplated only after the elections to the Lok Sabha. The steps to be taken by the leadership of the two coalition partners in the days to come will be interesting. As such, the first expansion of the ministry came about only after a fortnight after Mr. Kumaraswamy and Dr. Parameshwara took charge on May 23 since the two parties took time to arrive at a consensus on the Cabinet formation.

(The writer is Resident Representative, The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy, Bengaluru)

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