BELAGAVI: The possible denial of cabinet berths to several of its senior legislators, despite intensive lobbying and demands, may put the BJP in a crisis once cabinet expansion is completed on Thursday.
Though speculation was rife on Wednesday that three senior leaders, including Umesh Katti, will not be inducted, the senior MLA, who has won eight assembly elections, was confident he would be given a berth.
While most newly-elected MLAs had on Wednesday evening received official invitations to attend the oath-taking ceremony on Thursday, none of the senior BJP legislators who were supposed to be inducted into the cabinet, received letters until 9 pm on Wednesday. Katti had issued an ultimatum to CM BS Yediyurappa to include him, especially after he was sidelined during cabinet formation the first time. Sources close to him are sure that the leader could take some drastic measures if he is not inducted on Thursday. Katti has been a minister in various cabinets in the past, and feels the party must appoint experienced and able leaders as DyCMs, rather than roping in freshers.
Another issue Yediyurappa will have to tackle is regional imbalance. A group of disgruntled party legislators from the Hyderabad-Karnataka region may also indulge in rebel activities, and have held a meeting, headed by MLA Raju Gowda, demanding a cabinet berth for a leader from the area. Senior leader Basangouda Patil Yatnal has said that all districts should get representation in the cabinet, adding that some senior ministers must sacrifice their posts for this.
“There is nothing wrong with disgruntled legislators holding a meeting. Such meetings should not be considered rebel activities. In order to convey the sentiments of the people, there is nothing wrong in putting pressure on the CM,’’ Yatnal said, while defending MLAs from Kalyan Karnataka.
The inclusion of 10 new MLAs into the cabinet, at the cost of many senior and able legislators, may not be accepted by a large section of party loyalists. Given the way several party seniors are exerting pressure on the CM and the central leadership, merely hours before cabinet expansion, may spell trouble for Yediyurappa.