Bengaluru: Going against his decision to not honour the KPCC’s recommended appointments of new chairmen for various boards and corporations, the Chief Minister has appointed 14 Congress MLAs for these posts and eight MLAs as parliamentary secretaries. An order in this regard was issued on Sunday, January 6.
Soon after the Cabinet was expanded on December 22, the Congress submitted to CM H D Kumaraswamy its recommendations for posts of chairman of various boards and corporations. This, plus the fact that they had recommended their MLAs to head various boards and corporations that came under departments controlled by JDS ministers angered the JD(S) leadership as they were allegedly not consulted. This is reportedly why the CM delayed the appointments.
The CM has appointed only 14 of the 19 recommendations made by the Congress.
Some of the MLAs that have been appointed include B K Sangameshwar as head of Karnataka Land Army Corporation, B A Basavaraj as head of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited, Munirathna as head of Karnataka Skill Development Corporation, Shivaram Hebbar as head of North West Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation and Lakshmi Hebbalkar as head of Mysore Minerals Ltd.
HDK and his father, JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda, clarified that the Congress’ pick for the State Pollution Control Board, Dr. K Sudhakar was rejected as he did not meet the qualifications specified in the Supreme Court’s guidelines. Congress MLA Venkataramanaiah’s appointment to the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd was reportedly rejected by PWD minister H D Revanna as the position came under his department.
Other notable exclusions from the Congress’ recommendations include N A Haris as head of the BMTC and S T Somasekhar as head of BDA.
Interestingly, all those who have been excluded are known for their proximity to former CM Siddaramaiah.
The posts of deputy chairman of the planning commission, special representative in Delhi and political secretary to the chief minister, however, have not yet been filled. The Congress had suggested some of their legislators to fill these positions, but it looks like CM H D Kumaraswamy has chosen not to appoint them.
The JDS, however, has not yet appointed any of its MLAs as heads of any boards or corporations, or parliamentary secretaries.
According to coalition arrangement, it was decided that the Congress would fill 20 and the JDS would fill 10 of the 30 chairperson’s posts of the various boards and corporations.
