With some outfits raising the demand for a separate north Karnataka state alleging discrimination by successive governments towards it, Congress today said the party would give maximum representation to the region in the next round of cabinetexpansion.
"Congress party will give more priority to the north Karnataka region during the next cabinet expansion.
Of the six positions that are vacant, maximum representation will begiven to north Karnataka," Rao said.
Conceding that the present cabinet lacked adequate representation to the region, he said "we willcorrect it."
Former chief minister Siddaramaiah has recently said the next round of cabinet expansion will be taken up after the end of the inauspicious month of 'Ashada' (which ends on August 11).
On June 6, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy expanded his cabinet,inducting 25 new ministers which included 14 lawmakers from congress, nine of Kumaraswamy's JDS, and one each of the BSP and Karnataka Pragnavanta Janata Paksha.
As per the coalition arrangement, there are six vacant ministerial positions left for Congress and one for the JDS.
A day-long bandh has been called by some outfits in 13 districts of north Karnataka on August 2 demanding statehood for the region, alleging discrimination by successive governments towards it.
The 'Uttara Karnataka PratyekaRajya Horata Samiti'(North Karnataka Separate Statehood Protest Committee) has alleged discrimination in allocation towards the region in the budget presented by ChiefMinister H D Kumaraswamy on July 5 and also lesser representation in the cabinet.
Reacting to this, Rao said the argument was being put forward by those who have understood the budget wrongly.
"There has been no discrimination, all round development along with providing additional funds to those sections that are in need is the duty of the government, we are for it. We want all round development of entire Karnataka," he said.
The chief minister and the coalition government were committed towards developmentof the entire state, he said.
On Kumaraswamy's recent statement that JD(S) entering into a pre-poll alliance with congress for Lok Sabha polls would depend on how the ally would treat his party, Rao said an announcement to this effect (contesting the polls together) was made in hispresence.
"Both parties will have to go with proper coordination. So the conduct of both parties will be important....both parties should be right," he said.
The Congress and JD(S), which formed a coalition government after the May 12 assembly polls threw up a hung verdict, had announced during the power sharing pact that theywould fight the Lok Sabha polls together.
Seat sharing between Congress and JD(S) for the Lok Sabha polls, especially in the old Mysuru region, is seen as atest for the coalition as both parties are considered arch rivals in the region, where they had bitterly fought against each other during the assembly polls.
He dismissed as "baseless" reports that there were differences between him andsenior state party leaders, including working President EshwarKhandre and deputy chief minister G Parameshwara.
"There is not an iota oftruth to it," Rao said.
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