Rahul assured place in cabinet, says Yathindra

YAthindra Siddaramaiah on mon said he was surefooted to regain a localise in chief government minister designate DK Shivakumar’s cabinet, and dismissed speculation that was being considered for a deputy chief minister post.“Last time I visited the high command, Rahul Gandhi said that my interest will be taken care of, and he said I would be inducted into the cabinet, so I’m hopeful. Whatever the portfolio is, I’ll be happy,” Yathindra told reporters in Bengaluru.Asked whether he was looking at the deputy chief minister’s post, he replied, “No.”His remarks came as Shivakumar and outgoing CM and Yathindra’s father, Siddaramaiah, travelled to New Delhi to consult the Congress leadership on the composition of the new cabinet. Shivakumar’s swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to begin at 4pm on Wednesday.Party leaders aware of the matter said the discussions were expected to cover ministerial appointments, portfolio allocation and the broader power sharing arrangement within the government. They indicated that not all ministerial positions may be filled immediately.Congress MLA Ashok M Pattan said the first round of inductions could be limited to around 10 ministers, with the remaining berths likely to be filled later. “I think that tonight there will also be a meeting, and tomorrow, I think there will be a meeting to take ministries in Karnataka. Swearing in ceremony will be on Wednesday at 4 pm. I am also sincerely trying, but I think there are two instalments, and I think as per my information, in the first instalment, 10 members’ swearing in ceremony will be there,” Pattan said.He said the rest of the cabinet could be finalised in the first week of next month after the Legislative Council and Rajya Sabha elections. “Other people will be announced next month, first week, because of the Assembly Council election, the Rajya Sabha election is there. I think after that they will make a full-fledged ministry,” he said.On reports of a proposed coordination committee, Pattan said the matter rested entirely with the Congress leadership. “The high command will decide on the coordination committee or all other screening committees. High command will decide; we cannot decide anything. They will not ask our opinion also because that is a purely high command decision,” he said.Congress leaders arriving in Delhi indicated that other organisational matters could also come up for discussion, including the possibility of appointing deputy chief ministers and the formation of a coordination mechanism within the state unit.Rajya Sabha MP Naseer Hussain said the party leadership would take the final call on the composition of the ministry while ensuring representation across regions and communities.Earlier in the day, Shivakumar outlined his vision for the education sector and said artificial intelligence would form an important part of the state’s future policy direction. “I love education very much. The academic year starts today. Karnataka state students have contributed to the nation. Our students are studying in universities all over the world. Their basic education is in Karnataka. They are looking at India through Karnataka,” he said.“Now we are going to a new era. This is the era of artificial intelligence; we are going to go through artificial intelligence in the future. It will be our policy. We will give a new form to education in the future. Therefore, I congratulate the current government and the future government,” he added.