New Delhi, Oct 22 Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said he would dissolve some of the existing committees within the next three to four days to make way for fresh appointments, even as the final list awaits clearance from the Congress high command.
Speaking to reporters after meeting AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, Shivakumar said it was necessary to consult the party leadership on filling positions in boards and corporations. “One has to meet the party General Secretary,” he said.
He said Venugopal had told him that Rahul Gandhi would visit and that matters would be finalised once he arrives. “We must bring in new people. We also need to accommodate some MLAs and others,” Shivakumar said, adding that the list is with Venugopal and would be sent across after Gandhi’s arrival.
Asked about his earlier statement that the appointments had been finalised, the chief minister clarified that it referred only to members. “I have now received the list for the directors, and I will issue the orders,” he said. The list, he added, covers about 500 people.
Shivakumar said he had sought the high command’s permission in view of the Model Code of Conduct, with elections approaching, but it was not granted.
Asked about the two vacancies in the cabinet and the long-pending demand for a women’s quota, Shivakumar said the decision rested with the high command. “We have discussed everything that needed to be discussed. I have conveyed the urgency to them; it is up to them to make the announcement,” he said.
Asked whether the “sting operation” issue had come up in discussions since the state home minister accompanied for the meeting, Shivakumar said, “No, nothing like that was discussed.”
“It’s nothing; he (home minister) had come regarding a different matter,” he said, adding that he was unaware of the home minister’s arrival until he showed up. “He seems to have come separately.
(PTI News)
