BELAGAVI: Eight-time MLA Umesh Katti is an angry man. Dumped at the last minute before the oath-taking ceremony, he said he told a section of media on Thursday that he knew how to become a minister but wasn’t too bothered about getting a cabinet berth. Trying to play dow the party’s decision to sideline him, Katti said that he has been cabinet minister several times in the past.
But the manner in which Katti and Athani MLA Mahesh Kumathalli were dumped by the BJP high command, has not surprised just them but also their followers back home. Two days ago, Katti had told TNIE that he was among the 15 MLAs to be inducted into the cabinet. On Thursday, he said that the party had decided to induct 10+3 MLAs a day earlier, but had eventually changed its decision.
Katti had created a controversy a few years ago, demanding a separate North Karnataka state, with himself as chief minister. In the next few days, it will be interesting to see if Katti takes a drastic political step. Leaders in Athani also objected to the BJP’s decision to deny a cabinet berth to only Kumathalli among the newly-elected MLAs. Farmer leader Rajkumar Jambagi recalled the promise made by CM Yediyurappa at an election rally that he would make Kumathalli minister, but had failed to keep his word.
Prakash Kumathalli, brother of Mahesh, said, “We (people of Athani) had never asked the CM to induct Mahesh into the cabinet, it was the CM himself who announced at an election rally that Mahesh would be minister.” With young leaders like Shashikala Jolle and Laxman Savadi, and ‘turncoats’ Ramesh Jarkiholi and Shrimant Patil in the cabinet, a veteran like Katti, with eight wins under his belt, maybe embarrassed at being left out. The BJP may silence Kumathalli by naming him chairman of a board or corporation, but may find it difficult to suppress Katti in the coming days.