Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jun 9: At a time when the Congress top leadership in the state is involved with fire fighting exercise to quell the dissent from legislators unhappy at not being made ministers, anger among the ministers about unimportant departments allotted to them is brewing within. It is said that Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president and deputy chief minister, Dr G Parameshwar, with the help of some leaders, has been trying to appease the angry legislators while former chief minister, Siddaramaiah, has not been taking enough interest in these things, reports said.

It is said that C S Puttaraju, who is close to chief minister, H D Kumaraswamy, is unhappy about getting minor irrigation department. Puttaraju's supporters have urged him to resign from the ministry and come back to the constituency and confine himself to working as mere legislator.

Protests by supporters of some MLAs

Kumaraswamy at M B Patil's residence

G T Deve Gowda, who had defeated Siddaramaiah in Chamundeshwari Mysuru constituency, and who wanted to get transport or energy department, has been taken aback at being made minister for higher education. Deve Gowda reportedly poured out his displeasure at being given higher education department and giving the transport department to D C Thammanna. He is said to have wondered aloud with his close ones about his discomfiture about having to deal with higher education department, as he himself has studied only up to eighth standard. As soon as the news of him bagging the education ministry spread, his supporters and JD(S) leaders from his constituency came to his residence at Mysuru and urged him to reject the department.

It is said that H D Devanna, who was hoping to get energy department, is disgruntled at having been given only PWD department. At the same time, Ramesh Jarkhiholi, who was expecting to get social welfare department which gets a large amount of grants, is disillusioned at being given charge of municipalities and local bodies. The department of social welfare has gone to Priyank Kharge.

Influential Muslim Congress legislators like R Roshan Baig, Tanveer Sait and N A Haris are agitated at giving the ministry to Zameer Ahmed Khan, who crossed over from JD(S) into Congress, by overlooking their seniority our of Muslim quota. Baig and Sait are angry that their fathers had also served Congress party but their service was neglected. At the same time, supporters of N A Haris held protest in front of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee office on Friday, to register their protest against not making Haris a minister. They feel that Siddaramaiah had played an active role in making Zameer minister to the detriment of other Muslim legislators in the party.