Karnataka CM rushes to Delhi as consensus eludes BJP on cabinet revamp

Chief minister BS Yeddyurappa and state BJP president KS Eshwarappa flew to New Delhi on Sunday to end the deadlock over the proposed cabinet expansion as the state leadership failed to arrive at a consensus on the ministers who had to be axed and those to be inducted.

Yedyurappa held prolonged discussions with Eshwarappa and senior national leader Venkaiah Naidu, even as aspirants intensified lobbying for berths.

Hundreds of supporters of MLA Shankaralinge Gowda from Chamaraja constituency in Mysore staged a demonstration outside the chief minister’s residence demanding a berth for their leader. A huge group of supporters and seers of several mutts from Chikmagalur district met the chief minister to lobby for the induction of CT Ravi.

While the number of aspirants increased by the hour, the state leadership failed to arrive at a consensus. According to sources, Yeddyurappa wanted to limit the exercise to fill the three vacant slots in the ministry and replace just a couple of poor performers.

However, Eshwarappa strongly advocated the need for a major surgery on the cabinet by showing the door for the tainted and non-performers which could also provide an opportunity for more number of fresh faces.

Party national general secretary Ananth Kumar stayed away from the meeting as he was said to be indisposed. Kumar reportedly reiterated his suggestion for deferring the cabinet expansion till taluk and zilla panchayat polls were held in December.

Meanwhile, the absence of mining lords Janardhana Reddy and Karunakara Reddy from the entire process has evoked curiosity. While the chief minister was busy trying to convince Eshwarappa and Naidu for getting the go-ahead to complete the ministry expansion within a day or two, the Reddys were holding a grievance redressal convention in Bellary.

However, it was said that the Reddys were extending tacit support for any efforts to prevent Yeddyurappa from going ahead with his plans as it was believed that the list of ministers to be axed included their camp followers, libraries minister Shivanagouda Naik and fisheries minister Anand Asnotikar. Naik later in the night threatened to resign from his assembly membership, if he was axed from the ministry.

The names of agriculture minister SA Ravindranath, co-operation minister Lakshman Savadi, wakf minister Mumtaz Ali Khan, animal husbandry minister Revu Nayak, muzrai minister D Sudhakar and higher education minister Aravinda Limbavali figured prominently among those proposed to be axed.

Former ministers Shobha Karandlaje and V Somanna are certain to stage a return. A Narayanaswamy, Appu Pattanashetty, CT Ravi or Jeevaraj, Shankaralinge Gowda or Vijayashankar and CC Patil have emerged as the front-runners to enter the cabinet.

The persisting differences within the troika of Yeddyurappa, Eshwarappa and Ananth Kumar over the ministers to be dropped and the choice of new entrants, compelled the leaders to shift the action to Delhi. The central leadership is expected to intervene and end the deadlock.