Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar Sundayallotted portfolios to his ministers, three days after forming the cabinet, butthe ruling Bharatiya Janata Party faced fresh trouble from those deniedministerial berths.
Shettar and BJP leaders have played safe by allotting thesame portfolios to 21 ministers who held them in the D.V. Sadananda Gowdagovernment which fell last Wednesday due to dissidence.
The portfolio distribution was delayed because of hecticlobbying by the ministers, backed by the factions they belong to, for plumdepartments.
The issue was finally resolved late Saturday after Shettarmet BJP chief Nitin Gadkari and party senior leaders L.K. Advani, Sushma Swarajand Arun Jaitley in New Delhi.
However, there seemed to be no respite for either Shettar orBJP from the dissidence rocking the party since it came to power for the firsttime in the state in May 2008.
A group of around 20 party legislators, upset over denial ofministries, Saturday demanded that Shettar drop from the cabinet "taintedministers" and also members of the legislative council.
"There are several ministers against whom cases havebeen registered. Why keep them in the cabinet when our leaders asked B.S.Yeddyurappa to quit when a case was filed against him," BelurGopalakrishna, legislator from Shimoga, about 250km north of Bangalore, toldreporters here.
The ministers fighting cases of corruption and illegal landdeals include V. Somanna (housing), Murugesh Nirani (industries), C. P.Yogeshwar (forests) and C. T. Ravi (education).
Somanna, Nirani and Yogeshwar were ministers in the Gowdacabinet also while Ravi has become the minister for the first time.
Two days back Governor H.R. Bhardwaj told reporters that BJPleaders had ignored his advice to keep out of the ministry legislators facingcases.
Yeddyurappa, BJP's first chief minister in the state, wasforced to quit last July following mining bribery charges. Gowda took over lastAugust but bowed out last Wednesday following a campaign orchestrated byYedyurappa.
Gopalakrishna and other upset legislators have been meetingunder the leadership of former minister G. Karunakara Reddy in Bangalore forthe last three days to decide on a strategy to pressure the BJP leadership toaccept their demands.
Karunakara, brother of former minister and jailed miningbaron G. Janardhana Reddy, told reporters that "all 21 of us will decidewhat we should do. We are still discussing. We will announce the decision July18 or 19".
The assembly session to pass the state budget for 2012-13 isto begin July 19, the day when the voting in the presidential polls will alsotake place.
There is speculation that these legislators could createproblem for the Shettar government if the party does not placate them. Thebudget has to be passed by July 30.
State BJP chief and one of the two new deputy chiefministers K. S. Eshwarappa said efforts were on to win over these legislators.
He indicated to reporters in Bellary, about 300 kms north ofBangalore, that these legislators will be offered chairmanship of governmentrun corporations and boards.
Shettar, like most of the chief ministers of Karnataka,retained finance and intelligence wing. He will also look after, among severalother departments, minority welfare and information technology andbiotechnology.
Eshwarappa will hold the revenue department, ruraldevelopment and panchayat raj, which Shettar looked after in the Gowdaministry.
Another deputy minister R. Ashoka will continue to presideover home and transport departments, the two portfolios he had in the Gowdacabinet.
A Raj Bhavan communique said the governor had allotted theportfolios on the recommendation of the chief minister.
