BENGALURU: As Home Minister Amit Shah’s two-day visit to Karnataka draws closer, a host of BJP state unit leaders — especially MLAs — are all set to raise their concerns. Miffed over Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s choice of ministerial berth faces, lack of fund allocation for constituencies and delay in developmental activities, several MLAs of the BJP are lobbying with senior leaders from within the State and Central executive team of the BJP to raise their concerns before the Home Minister.
Shah will arrive on January 16 and visit at least five districts for various programmes, including Belagavi, where he will meet with party leaders. Phone lines of the BJP central executive team leaders have been busy since Wednesday with calls of dissenting state MLAs. “Concerns of MLAs who have expressed displeasure over various issues will be raised for discussion when Amit Shah visits the state.
All new seven ministers, of course, could have taken oath only with the Central leadership’s approval but that is based on their own inputs. The MLAs believe they should be given a chance to appraise the leadership of issues at the ground level,” said a national office-bearer of the party. Many MLAs, who were also cabinet aspirants, are keen on meeting the Central leadership with a special appointment in case Shah is busy during his tour to meet them.
“The CM himself has said we should go to the Central leadership if we have concerns. We will do exactly that,” said one of the cabinet aspirants who lost out in the race on Wednesday. Apart from cabinet picks, MLAs are also keen on highlighting the allegations of blackmail, corruption, nepotism against the CM. Tired of mudslinging against him, Yediyurappa on Wednesday advised angry party legislators to take their concerns to the Central leadership but refrain from washing dirty linen in public.