Bengaluru, Jun 2: Ten days after coming to power, the JDS-Congress ministry in Karnataka is set to be expanded on June 6, as the two parties reached a power sharing arrangement after intense haggling and announced their decision to fight the Lok Sabha polls as pre-poll allies.
The Congress has conceded the plum Finance portfolio to its junior partner, resolving a thorny issue, after its president Rahul Gandhi intervened and spoke to Kumaraswamy.
“Little bit of issues came in the form of finance portfolio. Lastly, Congress president Rahul Gandhi himself gave directions to us..that this coalition government is the need of the hour of the country,” Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said.
Venugopal said, …”Finally Congress decided to give finance portfolio to JDS, as per the direction of Rahul Gandhi,” as he read out a joint statement signed by him and JDS secretary general Danish Ali at a press conference here.
Kumaraswamy, his predecessor Siddaramaiah and Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge were present.
As per the power sharing agreement, the Congress would get the portfolios of Home, Irrigation, Bangalore City Development, Industry and Sugar Industry, Health, Revenue, Urban Development;
Rural Development, Agriculture, Housing, Social Welfare, Forest and Environment, Labour, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Science and Technology and IT/BT, among others.
The JDS’s portfolios include, Finance, Excise, Information, Intelligence, Public Works Department, Power, Cooperation, Tourism, Education and Transport.
Energy portfolio had also emerged as a sticky point in the negotiations, with state senior Congress leader D K Shivakumar, who was the key person who kept the Congress flock together during the political drama, reportedly keen on it.
The rest of the portfolios would be decided by the chief minister in consultation with the deputy chief minister, Venugopal said.
The ministry would be expanded on June 6, Kumaraswamy said.
