14 hours ago
Party high command asks Siddaramaiah to rein in erring legislators
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is learnt to have been asked by the Congress central leadership to rein in the party legislators who have been publicly making accusations of lack of funds and corruption and embarrassing the government.
During a meeting held with AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala in New Delhi on Tuesday, internal developments in the party came up for discussion, sources in the Chief Minister's Office said. Mr. Surjewala is learnt to have told Mr. Siddaramaiah to control the legislators from speaking in public and causing embarrassment. 'The Chief Minister has been asked to issue a serious warning to the erring legislators,' said the source.
Incidentally, the Chief Minister has said he would meet Aland legislator and Karnataka State Policy and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman B.R. Patil and North-Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation chairman and Kagwad legislator Bharamagouda (Raju) Kage, both of whom have publicly admitted to corruption in public works and slow-paced development owing to paucity of funds.
On Council nominations
The issue of the nomination of four persons to the Legislative Council was among the other political developments in the State that were discussed. While the list was almost ready, the central leadership asked the government to withhold it and not send it to the Governor.
'Mr. Surjewala informed that the list would be finalised once the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who is travelling, returns. The same list is likely to be retained,' sources said.
Meeting with Murmu
Earlier, the Chief Minister met President Draupadi Murmu to discuss the Bills awaiting the President's assent and requested her to clear them.
'Seven Bills have not received the assent, and I came here to request their clearance. The President informed me that the Bills are not with her, but with the departments concerned. I have requested her to get the Bills from the departments and clear them,' the Chief Minister told presspersons in Delhi, after the meeting.
The Bills that are pending with the President are: the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2015; the Karnataka (Mineral Rights and Mineral Bearing Land) Tax Bill, 2024; the Registration (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2024; the Notaries (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2025; the Registration (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2025; the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (KTPP) (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
While the KTPP Act amendment Bill seeks to provide 4% reservation to Muslims, the amendment to the endowments Act seeks to transfer 10% of the gross income of the temples having over ₹1 crore to a common pool to be used in smaller temples and for welfare schemes of the priests.
