Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru (EP)

Bengaluru, Sep 12: It is said that, Congress leadership, after watching activities of dissident in the state, has decided to postpone Karnataka cabinet expansion by a few more months. A Congress leader said that expansion of cabinet at this juncture may escalate dissident activities by Jarkiholi brothers.

A threat by Jarkiholi brothers when Congress party had plans to fill five vacant berths and appoint a sitting MLA as chairman of corporations and boards has worried Congress party leadership. There was friction between Jarkiholi brothers and Belgaum rural MLA Laxmi Hebbalkar. The leadership has however ruled out that it will cause instability in the government.

Some Congress leaders are afraid that the dissatisfied MLAs may unite and blackmail the party even though Jarkiholi brothers were only looking for better portfolios. Water Resource minister D K Shivakumar and Karnataka Congress Committee president Dinesh Gundu Rao had explained the situation last week to Congress treasurer Ahmed Patil and Karnataka in-charge general secretary K C Venugopal.

Chief Minister Kumaraswamy had requested Congress president Rahul Gandhi to finalize names of the likely new inductees in the cabinet to put an end to dissent. But he is hesitating to do so at present.