BENGALURU: The appointments made on Tuesday to the various boards and corporations in the state are being seen as rewards handed over to the loyal legislators who showed their allegiance to the coalition government even in the face of the alleged ‘Operation Lotus’.
Arasikere MLA Shivalinge Gowda, who made a statement alleging that BJP made a `50 crore offer to another fellow JD(S) MLA, gets to be the chairman of the Karnataka Housing Board while Gurmitkal MLA Nagana Gouda Kandkur has got the post in Karnataka Slum Clearance Board. Nagan Gouda’s son Sharan had met Yeddyurappa, exposing the alleged offers in the ‘audio gate’ episode.
Legislator D C Gowrishankar from Tumkur Rural, who received a call offering him `50 crore and passed on the information to his party leaders, has been made chairman of Mysore Sales International. MLA B Sathyanarayana of Sira was also approached by the ‘Operation Kamala’ team. He gets the post in Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation.
Devanand Phool Singh Chauhan, the Nagathana MLA who was also allegedly approached by BJP and refused the offer, has been elevated as a parliamentary secretary attached to the Primary and Secondary Education Department.
Manvi MLA Raja Venkatappa Naik will get Karnataka State Tourism Development Board while Devanahalli legislator D R Narayanswamy Nisarga has been given BIAL Development Corporation. Dr K Annadhani, Malavalli MLA, has been named for Backward Classes Commission and former bureaucrat Mohd Zaffarulla Khan gets the Karnataka Minority Development Corporation.
Congress MLA T.Venkataramanaiah from Doddaballapur has been named for Karnataka Forest Industries Corporation. S Bhima Naik, the MLA from Hagaribommanhalli, who figured in big fight at Eagleton Resort, gets Karnataka Thanda (Tribal Hamlets) Development Corporation, while former MLA H N Kona Reddy gets to be the parliamentary secretary to the chief minister.
MLA K Mahadev from Periyapatna has been made chairman, Karnataka State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation.
All the positions of chairman of boards and corporations get the rank of a cabinet minister while parliamentary secretaries will enjoy the rank of minister of state.