CM Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar warn party leaders not to publicly discuss power sharing, Cabinet expansion

BENGALURU: Congress legislature party leader and Chief Minster Siddaramaiah and KPCC president and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar on Wednesday warned the party leaders not to make public statements about power sharing or allocation of portfolios, saying it would have an adverse impact on the government as well as the party. They also advised the MLAs to visit their constituencies and spend more time to address the problems of the people.

At the legislature party meeting held at the Vidhana Soudha on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah advised the newly elected MLAs to focus on development saying that the people of the state had reposed a lot of faith in them and given them a majority. He also told them to actively participate in the Assembly proceedings and to take on the BJP over its false allegations.

He also said the Union government had not released funds for the state that is legitimately due and asked the MLAs to unitedly fight for it.

Deputy CM D K Shivakumar stressed that ‘saffronisation’ of the police force will not be tolerated.

A day after he said ‘saffronisation’ of the police force will not be tolerated, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday said that police officers wearing dresses of political outfits and posing for photos is “unconstitutional”.

“No one will be allowed to take laws into their hands. We won’t allow anyone to take the law into their hands. There were 3-4 places where some police officers displayed their agenda. They removed their uniform and wore their political outfits dresses and posed for photos. This is unconstitutional”, Shivakumar told media persons after the Congress legislature party (CLP) meeting.

On the expansion of the state cabinet, he said that it will be carried out by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. “Cabinet expansion will be carried out by my Chief Minister. He has the authority, Congress party has given him authority. He is the right man to answer”, Shivakumar said.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah too said senior police officials have been instructed to ensure no ‘saffronisation’ and ‘moral policing’ in the state. “That is what we have instructed all the senior Police officials – no saffronisation, no moral policing…” he said while talking to the media after attending a Congress legislature party (CLP) meeting at Vidhana Soudha.

Kolar MLA Roopa Shashidhar complained about police harassment to D K Shivakumar.

Earlier, he instructed the police officials to maintain law and order in the state asserting to form a corruption-free government for the people.

Meanwhile, even as the MLAs were exiting after the CLP meeting, Kolar MLA Roopa Shashidhar complained to Shivakumar that the police, on the instruction of election officials, were harassing her by filing a complaint against her for distributing food kits to labourers.