Karnataka Cabinet Expansion Discontent Spills Onto Streets In Fresh Challenge For Congress

Discontent over the Cabinet expansion continued to spill onto the streets on Thursday despite Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Karnataka Congress in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala holding a reconciliation meeting with disgruntled legislators a day earlier, with supporters of party MLAs staging protests in Kolar and Haveri districts.

Supporters of Bangarapet MLA S N Narayanaswamy enforced a bandh in Bangarapet town, shutting down commercial establishments and disrupting public transport to protest his exclusion from the Cabinet.

Police sources said all non-essential services remained closed, and bus and auto-rickshaw services were affected due to the shutdown.

The bandh received support from several organisations, including the Farmers' Association, Dalit organisations, the Taluk Congress unit, the Hotel Owners' Association and other local groups, Congress sources said.

The protesters said the shutdown was aimed at expressing their anger over Narayanaswamy being left out of the ministry.

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In Haveri district, supporters of Byadgi MLA Basavaraj Shivannavar held a procession from the Byadgi-Haveri Math to Mallilar Mahadevappa Circle, raising slogans demanding that he be inducted into the Cabinet.

Congress sources said the protesters alleged that a prominent leader of the Kuruba community from North Karnataka had been denied due representation in the ministry.

The fresh protests came a day after supporters of Bagepalli MLA S N Subba Reddy enforced a dawn-to-dusk bandh across Bagepalli, Chelur and Gudibande taluks of Chikkaballapura district.

Police had said protesters forced shops to shut, stopped KSRTC buses, blocked roads by parking tractors and other vehicles, and burned tyres while demanding a Cabinet berth for the three-time legislator.

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The demonstrations indicate that dissatisfaction over the Cabinet expansion continues in several parts of the state despite the Congress leadership''s efforts to placate disappointed legislators.

Two months after assuming charge as the chief minister, Shivakumar on Monday expanded his Cabinet by inducting 19 ministers.

(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by The Daily Jagran. Credit: PTI)