Dissent escalates in K’taka BJP against BSY after cabinet reshuffle | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Dissent escalates in K’taka BJP against BSY after cabinet reshuffle

BySharan Poovanna
Jan 22, 2021 12:11 AM IST

Bengaluru: Hours after he shuffled his cabinet to allocate portfolios to newly inducted ministers, Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa faced a backlash on Thursday from both the old guard and the new entrants, leaving the 77-year-old seemingly isolated

Bengaluru: Hours after he shuffled his cabinet to allocate portfolios to newly inducted ministers, Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa faced a backlash on Thursday from both the old guard and the new entrants, leaving the 77-year-old seemingly isolated.

HT Image
HT Image

The new ministers as well as those who were divested of key portfolios hit back at the chief minister. The CM inducted seven ministers into his cabinet on January 13.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

At least three ministers--N.Nagaraju, K.Gopalaiah and K.C.Narayana Gowda--met at health minister K.Sudhakar’s residence and later called on Yediyurappa to express their anger at the distribution of portfolios.

“There isn’t much I can do in the excise department and had asked for a portfolio which is more development -oriented. I have conveyed this to the CM,” Nagaraju said.

Gopalaiah, who was stripped of the food, civil supplies and consumer affairs ministry, sought to know what he had done to deserve such treatment.

Yediyurappa, revenue minister R.Ashok and home minister Basavaraj Bommai, among others, swung into damage control mode .

“There is no difference of opinion among the new ministers,” Yediyurappa claimed, flanked by Ashok and Bommai, who helped him to calm the dissidents, at least temporarily.

Many of the ministers unhappy with the changes did not attend a cabinet meeting on Thursday, people familiar with the development said on condition of anonymity.

Sudhakar, who fought hard to wrest control of the medical education department from B.Sriramulu at the peak of the pandemic, and succeeded, was stripped of the portfolio in the reshuffle.

With no backing from the central leadership of the Bharatiua Janata Party (BJP), Yediyurappa now finds himself confronting a burst of dissidence that has the potential to end another term of the Lingayat leader in the chief minister’s office well ahead of the end of his tenure.

Even J.C.Madhuswamy, a key member of Yediyurappa’s inner circle, expressed his unhappiness at being divested of the minor irrigation, law and parliamentary affairs portfolios.

“We will wait till the current crisis to play out and then put in motion our plans to be heard by the party,” said one BJP legislator, requesting not to be named.

The lack of action against Basanagouda Patil (Yatnal) for open rebellion against the chief minister was an indication of Yediyurappa’s souring relations with the central leadership of the BJP, analysts said.

“This is a repeat of what happened from 2008-13 in Karnataka. Corruption is increasing and in the due course, all these irregularities will be exposed. There is no money for relief measures, but the government is busy with its internal bickering. All this will help the Congress in the future,” said Ramalinga Reddy, working president of the Karnataka unit of the Congress party.

The analysts said central leadership of the BJP seems to have left it to Yediyurappa to deal with the problem.

“If the high command wants to control dissent, they can, but they have left it at Yediyurappa’s doorstep, stating that you brought them, so you control them. Basically he has been left to fend for himself,” said A.Narayana, political analyst and faculty at Azim Premji University.

At the core of the chaos are members of the Congress and the JD(S), whom Yediyurappa convinced to resign, a move that brought down the alliance government of the two parties in the state. In all, 17 members resigned from the legislature. In the subsequent by-election, 14 of them contested , 11 won, and sought their promised rewards, a ministerial berth. The CM’s unsuccessful attempt to meet heir demand has left both the defectors and the party’s old loyalists unhappy.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Mukhtar Ansari Death News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On