Cong in-charge Surjewala in K’taka to finalise list of appointments to Boards & Corporations

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said discussions are on regarding appointing ruling Congress legislators and workers to key positions in various state-run boards and corporations and the list, once finalised, will be sent to the party’s high command for approval.

Congress General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala is in the city to discuss the exercise with the party’s state leadership. Last week too, he had held discussions on the issue here. ”It is our routine work, it’s party work…he (Surjewala) was busy. We have held two to three rounds of meetings, today also we will be meeting, the list has to go to Delhi, after that we will inform,” Shivakumar, who is also state Congress chief, told reporters here in response to a question on his meeting with Surjewala.

There has been some disgruntlement and growing impatience within a section of the Congress party, with legislators, who could not make it to the Ministry and were keenly aspiring for key posts in boards and corporations, unhappy about the delay in appointments.

Also many partymen are upset over the delay in rewarding loyal workers, noting that the Congress has been in power for more than six months now. Shivakumar had recently said that both Congress legislators and party workers would be appointed to these positions, and indicated that about 15 to 20 party MLAs and MLCs would be accommodated, and the rest would be distributed among loyal party workers.

Appointments to boards and corporations are said to be among the issues on which Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar had certain differences of opinion, according to party sources.