Congress, JD(S) tussle over K’taka council chairmanship
Coalition partners Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) who rule Karnataka, have a new issue to contend with.
Both are eyeing the chairmanship of the Karnataka Legislative Council, the upper house in the state, as the term of incumbent, DH Shankarmurthy of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ended on Thursday.
After the recent round of polls, in the 75 member council, the Congress has 33 members, the BJP has 20 and the JD(S) has 14, with two Independents and five vacancies apart from the chairman’s post.
Shankaramurthy was not re-nominated by the BJP in the recent round of council elections as a candidate and his term as well as chairmanship has come to an end.
Congress sources say being the single largest party, it was natural that it should get the chairmanship of the council. However senior JD(S) leader Basvraj Horatti who is a member of the upper house said that the post had been promised to him both by chief minister HD Kumaraswamy and JD(S) national president HD Deve Gowda.
“I was a contender for a ministerial post and was eyeing the education portfolio. However due to coalition, regional and caste considerations, that could not happen. So now I have been promised the chairmanship of the council and I believe it will become a reality,” Horatti told Hindustan Times.
Incidentally, Horatti has been appointed as the pro-tem chariman of the council.
Pointing out that Congress’s KR Ramesh Kumar held the speakership of the assembly, Horatti, who is serving a record seventh term as an MLC, said, “It is but natural that as (Congress’s) coalition partner, we should get the chairmanship of the house.”
However former chief minister Siddaramaiah who is also the Congress legislature party leader, is believed to be backing senior Lingayat leader SR Patil who is also a former cabinet colleague of his.
While senior Congress leader BK Hari Prasad refused to comment on the difference of opinion between the coalition partners saying “only the KPCC president is the appropriate person to say anything on it”, G Parmeshwara who is also the deputy CM was not reachable. SR Patil was also not available for comments.
However a senior Congress leader, speaking off the record, said, JD(S) was getting greedy inspite of being the junior partner in the coalition. The fathersons trio (referrring to the Deve Gowda family) wants to grab everything.
“First it was the CMship, then lucrative portfolios and their choice of bureaucrats. What to do, we have our national compulsions and thus have to swallow our pride,” he added.
Stating that former actress Jayamala who has the women and child development portfolio, is the only member of the upper house in the state cabinet, the Congress leader said it was imperative that a senior experienced hand be made the chairman to ensure “a smooth conduct of proceedings and we have several senior leaders like SR Patil, VS Ugrappa and CM Ibrahim who are all contenders. JD(S) should give up its arrogant attitude”.
Senior political analyst Professor Harish Ramaswamy said this kind of bargaining was to be expected in a coalition arrangement.
“It will be resolved with the intervention of the Congress high command. JD(S) knows it has the upper hand in bargaining because of Congress compulsions at the moment.”
BENGALURU: “It is but natural that as (Congress’s) coalition partner, we should get chairmanship of the house.”