New Delhi: Union Minister for Food, Public Distribution, Consumer Affairs, New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, has stated on Wednesday that due to the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament and heavy official workload, it will not be possible for him to attend the meeting of MPs convened by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
However, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said that the government would fix a new date as per the convenience of opposition party leaders.
The Karnataka government is planning to hold a meeting of all MPs and union ministers to press for more funds for the state and clearance of projects by the Centre.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, Minister Joshi stated the reasons for his inability to attend the meeting and pointed out that it would have been convenient had the date been fixed after consulting the MPs.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had convened a meeting in New Delhi on December 8 with MPs representing Karnataka to discuss development issues of the state and draw the attention of the Centre towards pending matters.
His letter reads, “As you are aware, the Winter Session of Parliament is underway. You know well that the workload during a session is heavy. Several financial bills are scheduled for introduction. Hence, all of us ministers have pressing responsibilities related to the Parliament session as well as our respective ministries.”
Minister Pralhad Joshi further pointed out that, “It would have been convenient if the Chief Minister had discussed with us first and then finalised the date.”
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Railways and Jal Shakti V. Somanna, and Minister of State for Labour & Employment and MSME Shobha Karandlaje have also communicated that they will not be able to participate in the meeting, Joshi stated.
Meanwhile, Shivakumar has clarified in Bengaluru on Wednesday that all all-party meetings would be postponed and a new date would be fixed as per the convenience of opposition leaders.
Shivakumar said: “The all-party meeting that was scheduled to be held on December 8 in New Delhi is likely to be postponed due to certain technical reasons. We had decided to take the leaders of the opposition parties along with us for this meeting. However, they are creating hurdles. Therefore, the Chief Minister and I will discuss the matter and fix a date that is convenient for the opposition parties.”
(IANS)
