In 24 hours, BSY reshuffles portfolios
nBENGALURU: Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Tuesday reallocated portfolios to some newly inducted members of the cabinet a day after the allocation.
The Bharatiya Janata Party leader had allocated on Monday the portfolios to 10 of the 11 turncoat MLAS who had defected from the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) to contest elections on the BJP slate. The MLAS were inducted into the cabinet on February 6.
Some of the new ministers had publicly expressed their dissatisfaction over the portfolio allocation.
BC Patil, who was first allotted the forest department, has now been made the agriculture minister. Anand Singh, who got food and civil supplies, is now the minister for forest, ecology and environment. K Gopaliah, who was earlier allocated the small scale industry and sugar ministries, has now been given food, civil supplies and consumer affairs. The portfolios of Shivram Hebbar and Shrimant Patel have also been changed.
Despite opposition, however, Yediyurappa did not change the portfolio of K Sudhakar, who has been given the medical education department.
The reallocation of portfolios drew criticism from opposition leaders, who accused the MLAS of “blackmailing the CM”.
Congress leader VS Ugrappy said: The CM’S decision should be final but I feel sorry for Yediyurappa that he can’t even decide what portfolio should be given to whom. The turncoats are blackmailing the CM and government to get their pound of flesh in return for helping the BJP form the government in the state.”
One of the newly inducted ministers, however, said that the CM had rectified “injustice” to the MLAS. “Injustice was done, which has been rectified. I don’t know what the problem of the opposition is, if portfolios are reallocated. After all it is the prerogative of the chief minister,” the minister said on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, the only turncoat MLA who was not inducted into the cabinet, Mahesh Kumtahalli, reportedly turned down the chairmanship of Mysore Sales International Limited(msil), a state-owned marketing organisation. Kumtahalli was not immediately available for a comment.