Upset over the "delay" in theexpansion of the D V Sadananda Cabinet, a section of rulingBJP legislators today threatened to take the issue to theparty's central leadership if the exercise was not completedby Saturday.
MLAs C T Ravi and M P Appachu Ranjan, two contenders,held a press conference here giving vent to their anger overthe "delay".
The state BJP top brass has been talking about theproposed Cabinet expansion for quite some months butpostponing it for one reason or another. Chief Minister D VSadananda Gowda has been holding as many as 20 portfolios.
Ravi said senior party leaders had assured that cabinetexpansion would take place by June 16 but so far there are noindications of it. He noted that the BJP government'sfive-year tenure is coming to an end in ten months. Any moredelay would lead to problems in the party, Ravi warned.
"Opportunists are given positions in the party whileloyalists have been sidelined. This injustice has to be setright", he said.
Ravi demanded action against 12 MLAs who cross-votedduring the recent elections to the Legislative Counicl. "Ifrotten fruits are mixed with good fruits, all fruits will berotten", he quipped. If action is not taken against them, itwould result in adverse implications for the party, hecautioned.
Appachu Ranjan said as many 71 MLAs had been assured bythe senior leaders of the party that cabinet expansion wouldtake place by June 15-16.
"If it's not done by June 16, a group of 15 MLAs will goto Delhi to bring to the notice of the central leadership onthe issues of cabinet expansion and cross voting", he said.