Amid leadership row, CM Siddaramaiah to host dinner party today for ministers

Bengaluru, Oct 13 Amid the leadership row, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is hosting a dinner meeting for the Congress ministers in Bengaluru on Monday. The development, coming at a time of speculation over leadership change and strong rumours of a cabinet reshuffle, has assumed significance.

The dinner is being organised at the Chief Minister's official residence, 'Cauvery', in Bengaluru at 7 p.m. CM Siddaramaiah has invited all his cabinet colleagues, and some ministers have openly confirmed their attendance. However, Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar has not yet responded to the development.

Interestingly, Shivakumar has cancelled all his programmes for the day, sparking further speculation. Sources state that the Deputy CM will attend the dinner along with AICC National General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala.

Congress party sources revealed that CM Siddaramaiah has multiple agendas. The first is to send out a strong message that he remains firmly in command of the state unit, amid claims from Shivakumar’s camp that there will be a leadership change in November and talks of a "November Revolution" within the ruling party.

The second agenda is to convey to cabinet ministers the need for "sacrifices" of cabinet posts in the interest of the party. Siddaramaiah faces the challenge of carrying out a cabinet reshuffle without creating animosity. His camp fears that those who lose their ministerial berths may be drawn into the rival camp.

The third agenda is to address concerns raised by the letter from the State Contractors’ Association to CM Siddaramaiah. Sources stated that the CM has taken the matter seriously, as the association has also sent the letter to the Congress high command. He is expected to instruct the minister in charge -- whose seven to eight departments are under scrutiny-- to streamline processes and resolve issues.

Ministers from Siddaramaiah’s camp maintain that the dinner party is being hosted simply because it has been a long time since he interacted with them in a relaxed setting.

CM Siddaramaiah is also likely to brief cabinet colleagues and MLAs on the success of the guarantee schemes over the past two and a half years and outline significant decisions to be taken by the Congress-led government in the future. He is expected to discuss the challenges the government will face after the caste census, particularly the significant changes to reservation and related matters.

Considering all this, Siddaramaiah is likely to prepare prominent leaders and cabinet colleagues to face upcoming challenges, while emphasising the importance of maintaining unity and harmony after the cabinet reshuffle.

Meanwhile, the BJP has alleged that the dinner meeting has been organised to give directions for the cabinet colleagues to arrange funds for the Bihar Assembly elections. The BJP has charged that the Congress party has made Karnataka state its ATM for the Bihar election.

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