Karnataka cabinet minister’s portfolio row unresolved over a week after oath ceremony

THe storage allocation of responsibilities within mysore’s freshly expanded storage locker remains unsettled thomas more than a week after the swearing in ceremony, with Bengaluru development minister Krishna Byre Gowda declining to assume charge until the government settles the scope of his authority over the city’s principal planning institutions.Also read: ‘Better we decide’: Supreme Court stays Trans Act proceedings at 4 high courtsDespite travelling to New Delhi to seek the intervention of the Congress high command and subsequently holding discussions with chief minister DK Shivakumar, Gowda returned without a final resolution. The minister has sought control of both the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA), arguing that the Bengaluru Development portfolio cannot function effectively without the agencies responsible for the city’s planning and growth.Also read: Amid US-Iran war, clean energy allows India to withstand risksAt present, Gowda has been assigned the Greater Bengaluru Authority, the city’s five municipal corporations, the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), and Namma Metro. However, the BDA and BMRDA continue to remain under the chief minister’s control.Gowda said discussions with the chief minister had addressed the outstanding issues but that clarity was still awaited. “I have convinced the Chief Minister about all the issues. He has said that the problem will be resolved. Everything will be clear in the next two days,” he said.Gowda maintained that his position was rooted in accountability rather than a dispute over authority. He said he was content to oversee Bengaluru Development but believed the responsibility required complete functional clarity before he could begin work.Also read: Cinema and AI: Unresolved issue of human creativity in film-making“I would like to state clearly that I don’t have any disgruntlement. The Chief Minister and the party have given me the responsibility of looking after Bengaluru development. I don’t see it as power because this is a big responsibility amid huge expectations from the people,” he said. He added that taking charge without the necessary institutional framework would make it impossible to meet public expectations.The unresolved arrangement has provided the opposition with an opportunity to question the government’s handling of Bengaluru’s administration.Leader of the opposition R Ashok said the cabinet was still occupied with internal negotiations while residents grappled with civic problems after recent rainfall. He accused Gowda of delaying the assumption of office because the BDA and BMRDA had not been placed under his control and questioned whether the dispute centred on those agencies. BJP MP Tejasvi Surya also questioned the government’s approach, asking why ministers were appointed if they were not entrusted with full authority.