CM Siddaramaiah starts holding meetings with MLAs to resolve issues, stem dissent

BENGALURU: With dissent brewing among Congress MLAs, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has himself got down to tackling the issue by meeting the lawmakers and tackling the issues raised by them.

Today, the CM, along with Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar held a meeting with MLAs from six districts, ministers, district in-charge ministers at his home office ‘Krishna’. The MLAs were from Tumakuru, Chitradurga, Ballari, Yadgir, Bagalkot and Dharwad districts.

At the previous Congress legislature party (CLP) meeting, the CM had assured the party MLAs that he will himself regularly meet them and sort out their issues after the issue of setting up a coordination committee to act as an interface between the party and government had surfaced.

At today’s meeting, the CM discussed issues related to grants, constituency development, official transfers, local body polls, Lok Sabha elections and implementation of the Congress guarantees. The CM also instructed the minister to look into the issues raised by the MLAs.

Among the issues raised by the MLAs include release of grants for constituency development, providing basic facilities including drinking water, release of pending payments to contractors among others. The CM assured them that payments will be released for ongoing works.

“Grants will be released in stages as funds are now being diverted to implement the guarantees. The ministers concerned will visit your constituencies, hold meetings and resolve the issues. I will issue suitable directives in this regard”, Siddaramaiah told the MLAs.