Ministry expansion :Congress-JDS panel to take call on Dec 5

Bengaluru: The coordination committee of the ruling Congress-JDS coalition will meet here on December 5 and decide on the much-awaited cabinet expansion, its chief Siddaramaiah said on Friday.

Also, Siddaramaiah, a former chief minister, along with state Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao, rejected reports about disgruntled Congress MLAs planning to skip the coming legislature session.

Siddaramaiah, who is the Leader of the Congress legislature party, said Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy will be invited to a CLP meeting likely to be held on December 8 so that the MLAs can take up issues concerning their constituencies.

"We will expand the cabinet at the earliest. On December 5 we have called a coordination committee meeting, where we will discuss all issues - when to expand the cabinet... We will discuss in the meeting and take a decision," he told reporters here.

His comments come a day after Rao said the JDS-Congress ministry would be expanded before the winter session of the state legislature commencing on December 10.  Replying to a question on why Kumaraswamy, a JDS leader, was being invited to the CLP meeting, Siddaramaiah said: ...this is a coalition government, whom should MLAs tell about the issues concerning their constituencies- it is te Chief Minister.

 So, we will invite him to the meeting." According to sources, the decision to invite Kumaraswamy has been made as there is growing discontentment among the Congress legislators about the functioning of the government and alleged discrimination towards them in development works.

Siddarmaiah termed as "baseless" and "not true" reports that some disgruntled Congress legislators were planning to camp in Mumbai ahead of assembly session from December 10 under state Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi's leadership. Gundu Rao also termed the reports as "rumour".

"No one will go, cabinet is getting expanded, we will appoint heads to boards and corporations...this is a rumour, no one is going, government is stable, and we will conduct the session effectively," he said.

Earlier in the day, Jarkiholi himself denied the reports and claimed attempts were being made by some "self-proclaimed influential party leaders" to damage his image.The reports came amidst growing clamour among Congress legislators for expansion of the cabinet at the earliest and their alleged discomfort regarding the functioning of the government.

According to the pact reached between the two partners at the time of formation of the coalition government in May, there are now six vacant ministerial positions left for the Congress and two for the JD(S).