Cong to finalise workers for key roles in state-run boards, corporations

Ruling Congress in Karnataka appears set to finalise the list of party legislators and workers to be appointed to key positions in various state-run boards and corporations, during the visit of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to New Delhi from Monday.

Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress President, said a list has already been sent to Congress high command for its approval.

"We will definitely finalise it and come, we have already sent the list and proposal, as there were elections (in five states) and as there was Assembly (session) there was a delay. Both the Chief Minister and I are going, we will finalise and come," he told reporters here ahead of leaving for the national capital.

Responding to a question on the Chief Minister reportedly getting an appointment to meet the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he merely said, "okay, we will meet."

According to the Chief Minister's tour plan shared with the media, he will be travelling to Delhi this evening and meeting Union Ministers there on Tuesday, while his return journey has been kept open. There is no official word on his meeting with the Prime Minister yet.

In case Siddaramaiah meets the PM, he is likely to take up several key issues concerning the state including delay in release of drought relief by the Centre, party sources said.

The Deputy Chief Minister, who is travelling to Delhi ahead of the Chief Minister, will be meeting some Union Minister this evening and also on Tuesday. His return journey too has been kept open.

Congress in Karnataka had prepared a list of party legislators and workers to be appointed to key positions in various state-run boards and corporations last month, in the presence of party General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala, even as there seems to be some differences among leaders over the process, with Home Minister G Parameshwara openly saying he was not consulted on the exercise.

There has been some disgruntlement and growing impatience within a section of the Congress party, with legislators, who could not make it to the Ministry and were keenly aspiring for the key posts in boards and corporations, unhappy about the delay in appointments.

Also many party men are upset over the delay in rewarding loyal workers, noting that the Congress has been in power for more than six months now.

Shivakumar had recently said that both Congress legislators and party workers would be appointed to these positions, and indicated that about 15 to 20 party MLAs and MLCs would be accommodated, and the rest would be distributed among loyal party workers.

Appointments to boards and corporations are said to be among the issues on which Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar had certain differences of opinion, according to party sources.