Karnataka Congress sees stormy LP meet: Miffed MLAs rain complaints; legislator wants to be OSD to minister

Several other MLAs told the CLP meeting that the ministers were not responding to their letters regarding development activities in their constituencies and the transfer of officials.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is said to have assured the MLAs to consider their transfer requests but declined to allot funds for development works, citing the additional burden the implementation of guarantees has placed on the state exchequer.

In the run-up to the 10 May Assembly elections, the Congress had promised to implement five welfare initiatives —  its guarantees — once it assumed power.

Sources said around 30 MLAs, including Basavaraj Rayareddy from Yelburga, CS Nadagouda from Muddebihal, and BR Patil from Aland, raised development issues at the meeting.

The CLP meeting was convened after Patil had sent a letter to the chief minister demanding the latter to hold the talks. At least 25 other MLAs, too, had signed the letter.

MLA’s letter on appointment

Meanwhile, several MLAs expressed shock over Shivaganga’s letter demanding appointing him as a personal secretary or OSD. Shivaganga, a first-time MLA, had taken the oath of secrecy and office in Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s name.

Confirming the letter, a senior MLA from North Karnataka termed it “comical”. “As there is not even a minimal response or assurance to my letters and to facilitate the works of the people in my segment, I request to appoint me either as personal secretary or OSD to one of the Cabinet ministers,” the MLA read out Shivaganga’s letter.

Also read: Heavy rains cause floods, landslides, widespread damage

Demand for funds

At the CLP meeting, around 30 MLAs raised concerns over the non-allotment of funds for developmental works and not taking them into confidence while transferring officials in their segments.

Basavaraj Rayareddy, BR Patil, CS Nadagouda, Raju Kage, Basavaraj Shivaganga, Mahantesh Koujalagi, and other legislators expressed concerns in the meeting, party sources said.

“I have been elected five times as an MLA. I have worked with many senior lawmakers, whose sons, including HK Patil, MB Patil, Dinesh Gundu Rao, and Krishna Byre Gowda, are now Cabinet ministers,” the senior MLA told South First, requesting anonymity.

“I have to wrestle with them to get my work done. We will know our difficulties. Several senior legislators are angry, not me. I asked many legislators to sign the letter demanding the CLP meeting,” he said.

“There was a heated discussion in the meeting over the letter that had gone viral. Several MLAs, who had signed the letter, denied doing so. I told them not to lie. The legislators were allowed to express their grievances in the meeting.” he stated.

Also read: Siddaramaiah announces bountiful budget for Bengaluru

Funds available with government

“The meeting witnessed a healthy discussion. The fund deficit is just starting to trouble. In reality, there are enough funds with the government,”

“I told the meeting that I will disclose the available funds. The government will save around ₹3,000 crore on the Upper Bhadra Project. They have kept all such funds in reserve. The chief minister has responded positively to the MLAs,” he added.

Athani MLA Laxman Savadi confirmed that the meeting discussed the letter demanding the CLP conference: “There was a detailed discussion about the letter that had gone viral on social networking sites. The chief minister appealed to all MLAs to approach him directly if there are any issues instead of writing letters and releasing them to the media.” he told South First.

“He also emphasised that such fake letters would create unwanted embarrassment to the government and the party. The CLP leader allowed all MLAs to express their concerns,” Savadi said.

“Several MLAs raised the issue of ministers not responding to their letters and demanded respect from the ministers.  A few ministers took umbrage at the deputy chief minister’s statement that funds would not be available for development works this financial year,” he said, adding that the chief minister promised to hold district-wise meetings on transfers and other issues.

ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಖಾಸಗಿ ಹೋಟೆಲ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ಇಂದು ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್‌ ಪಕ್ಷದ ಶಾಸಕಾಂಗ ಸಭೆ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದು, ಮುಂಬರುವ ದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕೈಗೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕಾದ ಕಾರ್ಯಗಳು ಹಾಗೂ ಕಾರ್ಯತಂತ್ರಗಳ ಕುರಿತು ಚರ್ಚಿಸಲಾಗುತ್ತಿದೆ. pic.twitter.com/0ts2Ebr9Uo

— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) July 27, 2023

Also read: Siddaramaiah says UCC an unnecessary controversy created by BJP

‘BJP is a factory of lies’

Responding to the concerns expressed by MLAs, Siddaramaiah assured them to address their demands, including transfers and development works.

“The BJP is a factory of lies. They first create falsehoods and then spread them through their propaganda network. Finally, they make sure the media debated these lies,” the chief minister told the meeting.

“The ‘factory’ creates lies and presents them as truths. We must understand this and act responsibly,” the chief minister told the new MLAs.

“After the new government came to power, there was an immediate and enormous responsibility to set the state’s economy on the right track. Along with it, there was also a burden of fiscal responsibility,” he further said.

On the Budget, Siddaramaiah said he oversaw the Budget preparation since an estimated ₹58,000 crore was necessary to implement the five guarantees.

“Also, it was necessary to allocate funds for the five guarantees. Due to these reasons, I couldn’t pay attention to other matters,” he said.

“Our five guarantees resonate with all castes, religions, and classes, touching the lives of all sections of society. This has unsettled the BJP, prompting them to create excessive false narratives and fake videos to divert the attention of the people. The creation of fake letters in the name of a legislator is a part of this conspiracy,” he added.

“Amidst political pressures, I will chair district-wise meetings of legislators once a month. During these meetings, we will discuss issues concerning the region,” he told the MLAs.

“I will ensure that emergency works are executed. Even if there are any grievances, the MLAs must communicate with me directly and discuss them on the party platform,” Siddaramaiah said.

“The chief minister has assured us of addressing all our demands. However, he made it clear to everyone that he will not be able to provide sufficient funds for development works this year. He promised funds only for emergency works,” a senior lawmaker said.