DAVANGERE: A day after the cabinet expansion, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, who was brimming with confidence on Thursday hit back at the disgruntled legislators and advised them to report their problems with the central leadership and not embarass the party and the state government by making public statements.
Addressing the media persons at the GMIT helipad in the city, he said that he had full backing of the party high command and requested the disgruntled MLAs and MLCs to take the complaint to the central leadership, "who will decide what is right and wrong".
In an warning tone, Yediyurappa said that discussing certain issues in public will damage the image of BJP and the government and instead they can talk to the high command and he is not going to object those who will do so.
"I don't fear any blackmail allegation and the cabinet has been expanded as per the directions of the national leadership. All the options were weighed before the present expansion and the best interest of the party has been safeguarded. As per the directions of high command, a berth is still kept vacant," the CM said.
The Wednesday's expansion of the cabinet by inclusion of seven new ministers Umesh Katti, CP Yogeshwara, Murugesh Nirani, S Angara, MTB Nagaraj, R Shankar and Aravind Limbavali brewed trouble brewed with bitter comments from BJP's own members.
BJP legislators who were vocal about the unelected MLCs being inducted into the cabinet and regional disparity in representation were critical on Yediyurappa.
Vijayapura City MLA Basavagouda Patil Yatnal accused that Yediyurappa and his family was involved in hijacking the BJP in Karnataka and requested PM Narendra Modi to put an end to "the dynasty politics of CM" in Karnataka.
Yatnal alleged that some of the new ministers have gone to the extent of blackmailing Yediyurappa to get a cabinet berth. "The CM made those, who blackmailed him, ministers. Three people, one political secretary and two (sitting) ministers, had been blackmailing him with some of his CDs for the last three months. One, who took oath as minister today, paid a hefty sum to Vijayendra (CM's son) apart from using his CDs to blackmail him," Yatnal said.