Meeting of Karnataka Cong's SC/ST ministers, lawmakers postponed

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said that the dinner meeting of Congress leaders, ministers and lawmakers from SC/ST communities that was called on January 8, has been postponed following instruction from a AICC general secretary. The meeting has been postponed on the instructions of AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala, and the next date of the meeting will be informed later, Parameshwara said in a statement.

The meeting was scheduled within a week after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's dinner with select Dalit and ST Cabinet colleagues that had created buzz within the ruling Congress, amid speculation over a change of guard in the state after March this year. While, the January 2 dinner was hosted at Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi's residence, which was attended by Social Welfare Minister H C Mahadevappa, Parameshwara and Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna, along with CM; Wednesday's meeting that has now been postponed was under the leadership of Parameshwara. According to party sources, Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president D K Shivakumar had met AICC general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal in Delhi and discussed the developments.

Responding to a question on "dinner politics" in the party and meeting called under Parameshwara's leadership, Shivakumar, who is in Delhi after returning from abroad, said, "He was not aware of it (meetings), I was away. I don't have information. After going to Bengaluru I will try and get to know about it." Earlier in the day, speaking to reporters, Parameshwara said that Wednesday's dinner meeting was a preparatory meeting for the SC/ST convention that they were planning to organise in the days ahead, aimed at consolidating the community's support. "...We are planning to host a SC/ST convention.

We had organised a SC/ST convention in Chitradurga ahead of Assembly polls. We never did a thanksgiving convention after the polls and coming to power...aimed at organising such a convention, all MLA, ex-MLAs, party office bearers from the SC/ST communities are gathering tomorrow," he said.