Kumaraswamy expands cabinet with 2 Independents but that could do little to save his govt

Political analysts say the instability is due to the dissent within the Congress and JD(S) and as such, this move will not ease the crisis in Karnataka.

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy | PTI

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy Friday inducted two Independent legislators, R. Shankar and H. Nagesh, into his cabinet, filling up two of three vacant ministerial berths in the Congress-JD(S) coalition government. The total number of ministers now stands at 34, with one berth still vacant and reserved for the JD(S) as per the coalition government.

In accommodating the Independents, however, the chief minister has ignored the dissent and protests from supporters of senior Congress leaders such as Ramalinga Reddy, Roshan Baig and B.C. Patil, all believed to be seeking positions in the cabinet.

Political analysts in the state feel that Kumaraswamy placating the two Independents, who had withdrawn support to the government in January, will do little to curb infighting in the coalition that is threatening to bring down his government.

“If it is an unscientific choice with no parameters for selecting or allocating ministries, this will only aggravate the situation,” said Bengaluru-based political analyst Harish Ramaswamy. “The very idea of feeding a crying baby will only let others to follow suit.”

Sandeep Shastri, another analyst from the capital, told ThePrint that the Kumaraswamy government had failed to identify the problem for the dissent.

“They are not finding the cause of the problem, rather they are only treating the issue symptomatically,” he said. “They (coalition) assume that the problem can be solved by inducting Independents and keeping others (dissenting party MLAs) on tenterhooks by telling them that they will get a chance.”

Shastri said that the coalition has failed to douse the “fire being caused by forces within the Congress and the JD(S)”. “They may have doused the fire from one corner for now but it will keep erupting until the alliance finds a solution to quell the problems from within, Shastri said. “The instability will continue and they will be fighting one crisis after another.”

Mysuru-based political analyst Muzaffar Assadi, however, is of the opinion that the present coalition government has been experimenting by bringing in young MLAs and infusing new thoughts and ideas.

“It is not just about accommodating dissidents, it is also about having a young vibrant cabinet, a change from the old guard. Despite all the dissident activities, Kumaraswamy’s government is not yet in jeopardy as both the Congress and JD(S) know that if they go in for a mid-term election, neither of them will win,” Assadi said.

“There is still a strong Modi factor and they may not be able to beat that. So as of now, the government seems safe for another year with this young new cabinet.”

A senior Congress leader also told ThePrint that by inducting the two Independents into the cabinet, the government will be able to prevent them from jumping ship again.

“One can issue a whip to party MLAs in both the Congress and JDS but to keep the numbers in our favour, it is important to keep the Independents on our side,” the leader, who did not want to be named, said.

All well in the coalition: State Congress chief

Karnataka Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao told ThePrint that all is well within the coalition and that the government has effectively quelled the threat to it.

“There will be a major reshuffle in the next six to eight months and that is when senior leaders could be accommodated,” Rao told The Print. “As of now, many of the current ministers have worked hard for the parliamentary and urban local body elections. They all need some more time to perform well in their ministries and then we could look at a reshuffle.”

In the seat-sharing formula between the coalition partners, JD(S) has been allotted 12 ministerial berths and the Congress 24.

The disgruntled leaders, largely from the Congress, have been assured of being adequately rewarded later but many remain unconvinced. Senior Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy, among those believed to be eyeing a cabinet berth, refused to comment on the Friday development. But leaders from his camp told ThePrint that Reddy is upset at being denied a ministerial post and will take a “major” decision shortly.