A day after BJP president Amit Shah and Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa reportedly held talks on Cabinet expansion, former Minister A.H. Vishwanath reiterated his demand for a berth in the Ministry.
Speaking to reporters at a function organised to unveil the statue of Sangolli Rayanna at Doddakoppalu in K.R. Nagar on Sunday, he said the BJP should provide ministerial berths to all the 17 disqualified MLAs irrespective of the results of the subsequently held bypolls. “All 17 MLAs, who had resigned, were responsible for the BJP coming to power,” Mr. Vishwanath said, adding that he hoped BJP would take them into confidence.
During the byelections for 15 of 17 Assembly seats, the BJP won 12, but two of the disqualified MLAs – Mr. Vishwanath and N. Nagaraju (M.T.B.) – lost.
Meanwhile, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj K.S. Eshwarappa met Mr. Vishwanath at the Travellers’ Bungalow in K.R. Nagar and assured him that the BJP would ‘repay the debt’.
Earlier in Mysuru, when Mr. Eshwarappa was asked whether disqualified MLAs, who had lost in the bypolls, would be accommodated, he said he was not aware of the party’s plans.
