BENGALURU: Before filling up the one vacant berth it has in its quota of 11, the JD(S) wants to drop two of its ministers. Eighty-two-year-old Horticulture minister M C Managuli, who is a Lingayat, is likely to be dropped ahead of the cabinet expansion to make way for a younger minister from the same community.
Given the difficulties that the party is facing with the lone BSP minister N Mahesh, sources in the party suggest that he is not indispensable for the JD(S). The indication from the JD(S) comes on the day Mahesh, who is the Primary and Secondary Education Minister, accused the party, BSP’s pre-poll alliance partner, of casteism.
“The BSP has no real base in Karnataka and Mahesh won thanks to the JD(S)’ support. Protecting the party and our workers’ interest is a priority. Mahesh is not indispensable and the more he speaks against the party, there is more reason not to consider his importance,” said a JD(S) leader who did not wish to be named.
The JD(S), party insiders say, is tired of working with Mahesh who is said to be arbitrary in his decisions. He owes no allegiance to the JD(S) and has claimed that he would quit the cabinet and pull out of the alliance with JD(S) if Mayawati asked him to. Mayawati’s decision to not ally with the Congress in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan has also given the JD(S) the much-needed confidence to take assertive decisions as well.
In the case of Managuli, the party is keen on replacing him with someone younger and efficient. The Lingayat senior minister was JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda’s choice for the cabinet as a means to give representation to Lingayats and also appreciate Managuli’s years in the party. But leaders over multiple meetings have expressed disappointment over his handling of the portfolio.
The JD(S), according to sources, wants to give opportunities to three of its legislators, including MLCs, a chance at being a cabinet minister. B M Farooq, Basavraj Horatti and Saravana are in the race to be inducted into the cabinet while lobbying is on by other aspirants too. The Congress, on the other hand, is yet to consider dropping its sitting ministers from the cabinet. Given the kind of dissent that the party has witnessed since the coalition government came into being, Congress is said to be weighing the pros and cons of dropping or replacing some ministers in the cabinet.
Meanwhile, Deve Gowda met AICC general secretary and Karnataka in-charge K C Venugopal in New Delhi on Thursday. The two leaders are said to have discussed cabinet expansion apart from bypolls to two assembly constituencies in Karnataka.