The Hindu : Karnataka News : Expansion of coalition Ministry put off again

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 25, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Expansion of coalition Ministry put off again

By A. Jayaram

BANGALORE, OCT. 24. The much talked of expansion of the coalition Ministry has again been put off and the reason being given this time is the unresolved tangle in Maharashtra over the chief ministership.

The wrangle over the chief ministership between the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress has cast its shadow over the State politics. According to indications available, the expansion might take place in the first week of November, and not before the Janata Dal (Secular) Legislature Party meets here on November 4. The dispute in Maharashtra has robbed the coalition partners in the State of a model for emulation and governance.

The hopes in the past few days that the expansion will take place on Monday or Wednesday have been belied. It is of interest that though the coalition came to power nearly five months ago, a full-fledged Ministry is yet to be formed. In contrast, a full-fledged Ministry is in place in Arunachal Pradesh where elections were held this month and the Congress is by no means a picture of unity.

According to Congress sources, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) is preoccupied with the Maharashtra affairs and cannot bestow time on Karnataka. The Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, told a television channel today that the expansion would take place only after he held talks with the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, and the Janata Dal (S) leader and former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda. He indicated that he would be leaving for New Delhi on Tuesday for talks with Ms. Gandhi.

Dissidence denied

Mr. Dharam Singh denied that there was any dissidence in the Congress and any threat from within the party. He agreed that there were differences of opinion about the coalition government.

The "holiday spirit" was much in evidence today. The Deputy Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, is in Mysore. The Chief Minister cancelled his visit to Chitradurga in view of the death of the veteran political leader, Kollur Mallappa. However, Mr. Deve Gowda was in the city.

It is stated that there is some strain in the Congress-Janata Dal (S) relations. The Janata Dal (S) leadership is stated to be annoyed over the public utterances of the Congress MP from Kanakapura, Tejaswini Sriramesh, against Mr. Deve Gowda and his sons. She had defeated Mr. Deve Gowda in the Lok Sabha elections from Kanakapura and is known to be close to the Congress leader and former Minister, D.K. Shivakumar. The Janata Dal (S) leaders' opposition to his inclusion in the Ministry is also among the reasons for the delay in its expansion.

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