Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah Holds Meetings to Address MLA Concerns

Bengaluru, Jul 30 (PTI): In an effort to reconcile discontented legislators and address their concerns, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has initiated one-on-one meetings with Congress MLAs.

This move, aimed at resolving intra-party differences, arises amid growing dissatisfaction among some legislators who have voiced frustration over the sluggish progression of development projects within their constituencies. Many attribute these delays to the implementation of the Congress government's five pre-election promises.

As part of this effort, Siddaramaiah engaged in discussions on Tuesday with ministers and MLAs from the Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Tumakuru, Kodagu, Hassan, and Dakshina Kannada districts.

He is set to continue these meetings on Wednesday with legislators from Bidar, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal, Vijayanagara, and Ballari districts. Sources suggest that these interactions will likely extend through Saturday.

Interestingly, Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Congress President D K Shivakumar's absence from these meetings has sparked discussions in political circles.

Nonetheless, Shivakumar dismissed any speculation, asserting he had no issue with the Chief Minister's meetings with legislators. "The CM is exercising his authority to engage with the legislators, and I have no objections," Shivakumar stated to reporters on Tuesday, noting that Siddaramaiah had received MLAs' feedback through Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala and was acting accordingly. "I have also held consultations with some legislators, particularly concerning Bengaluru's development," he added.

Home Minister G Parameshwara, a participant in the meetings, later assured reporters that the discussions were exclusively focused on development works. "There were no discussions on politics," he clarified.