BENGALURU: In what could be a step towards cabinet reshuffle and expansion, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday appointed 24 BJP legislators as chiefs of various boards and corporations. While four of the appointments were withdrawn within hours the exercise was aimed at placating MLAs close to BS Yediyurappa who had been complaining about being ignored. But many MLAs, who are cabinet berth aspirants, either openly dissed the appointments or coyly rejected them. They were left disappointed as appointments to boards and corporations mean that they are no longer in contention for a ministerial berth.
Senior BJP leader from Chitradurga GH Thippareddy was the first to publicly reject the appointment deeming it an ‘insult’. He said, “I am a six-time MLA. I don’t need an appointment to a board. I qualify to be a minister and it is my right.”Hours later, the CMO withdrew his appointment as Chairman to the Karnataka Housing Board was withdrawn along with those of Paranna Eshwarappa Munavalli as president of the Karnataka Finance Corporation, Lalaji Mendon as Chairman of Karnataka Backward Classes Commission, and Basavaraj Dadesur as president, Karnataka State Social Welfare Board, due to ‘technical qualifications’.
“Everybody wants to become a minister, but there are only 34 berths. This was an attempt to accommodate some MLAs in important posts, but many are disappointed,” said a source from the Yediyurappa camp, reiterating that the exercise was meant to placate MLAs, but some dissent was expected. The appointments came on a day when Yediyurappa launched a booklet on his government’s achievements over the last one year.
Younger MLAs like Preetham Gowda, who has been appointed as chief of Jungle Lodges and Resorts, and Dattatreya Patil Revoor, who was made chairman of the Kalyana Karnataka Development Board, seem to have decided to convey their disappointment to the CM personally. “This has come as a surprise. I do not want such a huge responsibility and I request the CM to appoint someone else,” said Gowda, a debutante MLA from Hassan. After pulling off a rare victory for the BJP in the KR Pet bypolls, he was hoping to make it to the cabinet, much like Revoor. The MLA from Gulbarga South is keen on meeting Yediyurappa before deciding whether to accept the appointment.
Former ministers like Hartal Halappa, leaders like M P Kumaraswamy, Raju Gouda, A S Patil Nadahalli and Kalakappa Bandi too are said to be miffed, but are choosing to keep quiet, source said. But MLAs, like M Chandrappa of Holalkere and Araga Jnanendra of Teerthahalli, said they would accept any post given to them and work for Yediyurappa. Channagiri’s Madal Virupakshappa grudgingly accepted the post, ading he would have liked to be a minister. Meanwhile, the move has given more confidence to cabinet aspirants like Umesh Katti, Arvind Limbavali, CP Yogeshwar and H Vishwanath as it makes their path smoother.