Siddaramaiah maintains studied silence over Cabinet expansion

Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has maintained a studied silence amid growing indications that he is unhappy with the list of 19 Ministers inducted into the D.K. Shivakumar Cabinet, even as several of his supporters openly criticised the Chief Minister and the Congress high command on Tuesday.

Mr. Siddaramaiah skipped Monday’s swearing-in ceremony at Lok Bhavan and learnt to have conveyed his reservations over the Cabinet composition to the party leadership.

According to Congress sources, the former Chief Minister was reportedly unhappy over the induction of B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan, particularly in the backdrop of the Davangere South byelection, where a section of party leaders was accused of anti-party activities. He is also said to have favoured the induction of Byadgi MLA Basavaraj Shivannavar, a Kuruba leader, into the Cabinet.

The denial of a ministerial berth to MLC Umashree is also believed to have disappointed Mr. Siddaramaiah, although she has since been nominated by the Congress for the post of Deputy Chairperson of the Legislative Council.

Meanwhile, some have even argued that their proximity to Mr. Siddaramaiah may have cost them. Former Higher Education Minister M.C. Sudhakar, who did not find a place in the Cabinet, has openly stated that he may have paid the price for being close to Mr. Siddaramaiah.

Mr. D.K. Shivakumar, however, dismissed speculation over Mr. Siddaramaiah’s absence from the swearing-in ceremony, saying the former Chief Minister stayed away because it was his birthday and he had a large number of visitors calling on him.