BENGALURU: Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s casual announcement of making MLC CP Yogeshwar a cabinet minister has set off alarm bells within the state BJP, especially among cabinet aspirants. As an immediate reaction, Honnalli MLA M P Renukacharya rushed to meet BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel on Wednesday morning, miffed at the prospect of Yogeshwar becoming a minister.
Within hours of Yediyurappa’s announcement, Karkala MLA and BJP Chief Whip in the Legislative Assembly V Sunil Kumar dashed off a letter to Kateel, demanding an immediate meeting of party legislators. He is said to have highlighted the need to teach discipline to party leaders and reign in loose public statements.
“We are elected MLAs and our demand is simple. Only elected legislators should be made ministers. Those who have lost elections should not be made ministers,” Renukacharya told The New Indian Express, hinting at Yogeshwar.
An RSS man at the core, Sunil, in his letter to Kateel, is said to have questioned public bickering by leaders and pressed for immediate measures to “teach party’s disciplinary framework to all -- whether newcomers or core party leaders”. He asked Kateel to immediately convene a meeting of party legislators where legislators like him, who do not resort to public statements, are given an opportunity to voice their concerns.
“It is an internal matter of the party. Whatever the issues, we will sort them within the party. My intent is to uphold party values. I will not comment further about the letter,” Sunil told TNIE. A party source, in the know of letter’s contents, however, said that four specific points have been highlighted. Sunil is said to have pointed out that ministers and MLAs making out-of-turn public statements reflects poorly on the party. He has insisted that issues of cabinet expansion cannot be reduced to street talk.
“He has also raised questions on boards and corporation appointments. Such appointments are finalised only after discussions but that hasn’t been followed,” the source said. Sunil also highlighted that many legislators like him have chosen to remain quiet because of self-discipline and party values, but that should not rob them of the opportunity to voice their concerns.
The dissent comes at a time when Yediyurappa is pushing for a cabinet expansion, hoping that it would calm the ire of some aspirants. The Central leadership, however, is reluctant to give the go-ahead, leaving aspirants on the edge.