Unhappy Cong MLAs put pressure for ministerial berths

Amid brewing discontent over denial of ministerial berths in the recent cabinet expansion, a section of ruling Congress legislators today mounted pressure for their inclusion.
The MLAs met Congress General Secretary and state in-charge Digvijay Singh, who was in the city ahead of the party's coordination committee meeting here tomorrow, and conveyed their grievances to him.
"I met Digvijay Singh today. I told him I'm the senior most MLA. After listening to me patiently, he told me I was a deserving candidate," Ranebennur MLA K B Koliwad told PTI.
"He (Singh) assured me he will do something for me; I told him but for minister's post,I will not accept anything else. I'm sure that before (Lok Sabha) elections, there will be another cabinet expansion and I will be accommodated in that," he said.

Shedding his reported reluctance, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had on Wednesday inducted "tainted" D K Shivakumar and Roshan Baig into his nearly eight-month old Ministry, apparently bowing to Congress high command.
The expansion, the third since Siddaramaiah took over as Chief Minister on May 13 last year, has caused discontent among several ministerial aspirants, who have openly given vent to their feelings.

Another senior party leader and Afzalpur MLA Malikayya Guttedar said, "..If party has to win upcoming Lok Sabha polls, they will have to correct wherever there are lapses."
"They should have considered people who have become legislators five to six times - like me, Koliwad, Malka Reddy - who are seniors. Though our names were in the list of probables for the ministry, it was dropped due to some reasons," he said.

Stating that capable people have to be considered, Guttedar rued that those lobbying for ministries by "making rounds to Delhi" were being considered, in an indirect reference to Shivakumar and Baig, who had lobbied hard with high command to make it to the ministry.
Asked for his reaction before meeting the legislators, Digvijay Singh refused to comment, but said, "We respect and regard the sentiments of all senior leaders. But ultimately there are number of factors on which the political decision is taken... Chief Minister has to take a very balanced view.