BENGALURU: Voices of dissent are slowly rising over Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s cabinet expansion announcement. With Yediyurappa set to induct 10 out of the 11 turncoat MLAs — largely hailing from Belagavi and Bengaluru — and three party old-timers, concerns over skewed regional representation manifested itself during a meeting of ‘unhappy legislators’ on Monday. The bone of contention seems to be the possibility of CP Yogeshwar — who lost from Channapatna in the 2018 assembly elections to HD Kumaraswamy — becoming a minister. It isn’t the party’s decision to induct 10 turncoats, but the possibility of Yogeshwara becoming a minister that has led to rumblings in the BJP.
On Monday, even as Yediyurappa held preparatory budget meetings, a group of MLAs, largely from the Hyderabad-Karnataka region — now referred to as Kalyana Karnataka — held a meeting to discuss their “future course of action”.
The delegation also met Yediyurappa earlier in the day to express disappointment over skewed regional representation in the cabinet. Incidentally, the CM’s political secretary and confidante MP Renukacharya is becoming the loudest voice among dissenting MLAs. “If people who lost are going to be made ministers, then what about those who worked hard and won? We request that this issue be sorted out. Where should the ones who won go? All we want is for people who won elections to be made ministers. We will convey this to the government, but that doesn’t mean we are rebelling or are disgruntled,” said Renukacharya, MLA, Honalli.
Renukacharya, Bilgi MLA Murugesh Nirani, Gulbarga Dakshin MLA Dattatreya Patil Revoor, Raichur MLA Dr Shivaraj Patil, Shorapur MLA Raju Gouda, Gangawati MLA Paranna Munavalli, Sedam MLA Rajakumar Patil and Gulbarga Rural MLA Basavraj Mattimud met at the Legislators’ House on Tuesday to discuss their concerns. “Article 371(J) that accords special status to Kalyana Karnataka mandates adequate political representation too. It is our request to give a berth to someone from the region to avoid an imbalance of representation. When people speak of a separate state, there is a hullabaloo, but if such imbalances are created, then what are we to do? Changing the name of the region isn’t enough, the government should also give equal opportunities,” said Raju Gouda.
He added that the government was free to make Yogeshwar an MP or MLC if it wanted, but a ministry should be given to Kalyana Karnataka. The angry legislators pointed out that even when the JDS had only 11 berths in its quota during the coalition government, it had two ministers from the region. The MLAs have pointed out to the CM that coastal Karnataka, Old Mysuru region and Kalyana Karnataka have no representation in the cabinet.
It isn’t just disappointed leaders that the CM has to manage. Despite assuring him a berth and a plump portfolio, Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi is said to be continuing to throw tantrums demanding a cabinet berth for his confidante Mahesh Kumathalli. With Laxman Savadi already in, the CM is said to have told Kumathalli — who is also from Athani — that two leaders from the same constituency can’t be accommodated.
Interestingly, Kumathalli had defeated Savadi in the 2018 assembly polls and had won the seat again in the December 2019 bypolls. Despite winning twice from the seat, Kumathalli is likely to be kept out of the cabinet, whereas Savadi, who lost to Kumathalli, is DyCM.