D K Shivakumar on Monday expanded his Cabinet, with 19 new ministers, all of them men, taking the oath. (File photo)A coalition of women’s civil society groups in Karnataka has written an open letter to Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, criticising the lack of women’s representation in the newly expanded Cabinet.D K Shivakumar on Monday expanded his Cabinet, with 19 new ministers, all of them men, taking the oath.Addressing Shivakumar, the letter stated that the lack of women in the current Cabinet reinforces “the deeply patriarchal assumption that political power belongs primarily to men”, and that “women’s leadership remains dispensable when it comes to the exercise of state power”.The letter stated, “You had initiated an important dialogue on the concept of Naa Nayaki (you are the leader) with women writers, public intellectuals, elected women representatives…. (it) has been reduced to Naa Nayaka (I am the leader) with leadership reserved entirely for men.”The collective noted that it hoped that Shivakumar would rectify the earlier mistake of the lack of women in his government through the latest cabinet expansion.It was also pointed out that the Congress had benefited from women voters, as they had won over half of the 52 Assembly seats where women voters outnumber men. The current Cabinet was also contrasted with party support for the Women’s Reservation Act in Parliament. The collective also highlighted the fact of Karnataka joining the league of states with all-male cabinets.Though the name of Congress leader Gayathri Shanthegowda figured among the likely list of ministers for Cabinet expansion, her name was dropped at the last moment.Story continues below this adHaving raised these contentions, the groups called for the induction of “qualified women” in the Council of Ministers, adding that there were enough such women leaders in the party.The open letter was penned in the name of Naveddu Nilladdidare, an umbrella coalition representing 30 civil society groups, including Gamana Mahila Samuha, Garment and Textile Workers Union, and Trans Feminist Collective, to name a few.