Too Early to Assess JDS-Congress Govt Performance, Says Former K'taka CM Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: Congress leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah said on Saturday six months was too early a period to assess the performance of the Congress- Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government in Karnataka.

Siddaramaiah, who is also the head of the coalition coordination committee, said the much-awaited expansion of the HD Kumaraswamy-led cabinet would take place at the earliest, after discussions with Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who is busy campaigning for assembly polls in five states.

"It (government) is going fine. Six months... it is too early to assess the performance of the government," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Mysuru.

The former chief minister said the government was implementing the common minimum programme set out by the coalition coordination committee and the programmes of the previous government were also continuing.

Responding to a question, Siddaramaiah maintained that there was good coordination between both the Congress and the JDS.

The coalition government, which came to power with Kumaraswamy assuming office on May 23, completed six months in office on Friday.

"(The) Cabinet will be expanded at the earliest. @INCIndia president @RahulGandhi is busy in the assembly elections of 5 states & we shall discuss about the expansion as soon as he becomes free from his busy campaign schedule," Siddaramaiah said in a tweet.

He said the party state leaders would go to New Delhi to finalise details after getting an appointment from Gandhi.

There are now six vacant ministerial positions left for the Congress, and two for the JDS in the cabinet. Currently, Kumaraswamy heads a cabinet of 26 ministers.

On the 2019 Lok Sabha poll, Siddaramaiah said preparations were on and discussions about seat-sharing with the JDS would begin after elections for five states were over.

Asked about the government's proposal to build the "Mother Cauvery" statue near Krishna Raja Sagara dam and opposition to it, Siddaramaiah said he was not a technical expert to comment on it. "But the Chief Minister should call a meeting of experts and decide."

The state government had recently said it was mulling a proposal to upgrade the Brindavan Gardens that adjoins the Krishna Raja Sagara dam, on the lines of Disneyland, including the installation of a mammoth watch-tower statue of "Mother Cauvery".