Govind Karjol, Jagadish Shettar support Yediyurappa
BELAGAVI: Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol and Large and Medium-Scale Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar hit out at RDPR Minister KS Eshwarappa over his letter to Governor Vajubhai Vala alleging interference from Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. They said that as a senior minister, Eshwarappa should not have written to the Governor and instead discussed the issue in the Cabinet or with the party top brass.
Shettar told reporters in Belagavi on Friday that it was unfair on the part of a senior minister to openly write a letter to the Governor against Yediyurappa. “Eshwarappa should have discussed his problems with the chief minister directly or raised the issue in the Cabinet meeting,’’ he added.Any differences between Cabinet colleagues should be discussed and resolved within the four walls. It is unfair to write letters to find a solution to problems, the former CM said.
Asked whether the rising discontent among leaders within the party and government would impact the party’s prospects in the coming bypolls, Shettar said, “Definitely not. Congress has taken up the letter row as it does not have any other issue at the moment to target BJP and PM Narendra Modi.”
As Cabinet colleagues of Yediyurappa, all the ministers should work in tandem without questioning the chief minister on any issue, said Karjol, who too was Belagavi. In a democratic setup, the state Cabinet delivers funds as per the CM’s directives. Yediyurappa disburses funds to all the 33 government departments in the budget, he said, adding at times, it may not be possible to ensure the release of funds to all the 224 Assembly segments.
“We (DyCMs) have already told the MLAs to directly meet the chief minister if they need more funds for their constituencies. The chief minister will then decide whether to release more funds based on the needs. Such a system is being practised for the last 70 years,’’ Karjol said. It is not right for any legislator, minister or MP to question the CM’s powers. “Ministers should discuss their problems in the Cabinet meeting and get them resolved,” he said. added.