Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, under pressure from Ministers disgruntled over portfolios they were allotted, on Friday again reshuffled some berths, a day after he allotted them to the newly inducted Ministers.
With key defectors such as N. Nagaraju (MTB), K. Gopalaiah, and K. Sudhakar being upset, the Chief Minister had tasked Ministers Basavaraj Bommai and R. Ashok to pacify them. While some berths were changed, there has been no relief to Dr. Sudhakar, who had openly expressed his displeasure on Friday about the Medical Education Department being taken away.
Mr. Nagaraju, who was unhappy with the Excise Department allotted to him, has now been given Municipal Administration and Directorate of Sugar, earlier allotted to R. Shankar. Mr. Gopalaiah, who was upset at being divested of the Food and Civil Supplies Department and unhappy over the relatively low profile Horticulture and Sericulture departments allotted to him, has now been made the Excise Minister. Mr. Shankar has been allotted Horticulture and Sericulture departments.
Mr. Shankar, upset at the change of portfolios in just a day, met the Chief Minister on Friday evening. “The Chief Minister has said he would consider giving me the portfolio of my choice at a later stage. He has promised to make me district in-charge Minister of Haveri,” he said. Mr. Yediyurappa has given away another low-key portfolio he held — Planning, Programme Monitoring and Statistics — and allotted it to K.C. Narayana Gowda, who had to give up Haj and Wakf, to J.C. Madhuswamy.
Arvind Limbavali has been given the additional charge of Kannada and Culture Department, allotted to Mr. Madhuswamy on Thursday, apart from the Forest Department. Mr. Madhuswamy has instead been given the additional charge of Haj and Wakf, apart from Medical Education. He is reportedly upset over being divested of Law and Parliamentary Affairs and Minor Irrigation departments. Speaking to mediapersons in Mysuru on Friday, however, he said he had now reconciled to his new assignment. “Medical Education is a bigger department than Minor Irrigation that I held,” he said.
Meanwhile, senior Minister Umesh Katti, speaking at Tumakuru, said there was time for Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and himself to become Chief Ministers of the State. “In the BJP you can become a Chief Minister till you are 75, a long time in the future to both of us. Presently, that question does not arise as the seat is not vacant,” he said.
