BENGALURU: Unlike Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s previous visits to the national capital kicking off speculation about a cabinet rejig, his two-day visit, starting Friday night, failed to evoke any curiosity in political circles. Ministerial aspirants who had lobbied earlier, seem to have realised that it will not work as the party high command will take a call in its own time.
“I will be leaving for Delhi on Friday night to participate in the conference of chief ministers and chief justices of all states, slated to be held on Saturday. There is no possibility of meeting the party top brass as I have not sought their appointment,” Bommai clarified. He will be returning to Bengaluru on Sunday morning.
According to sources, he will try to seek an appointment with both BJP National President J P Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. When he had visited New Delhi on April 6, many aspirants, including MP Renukacharya, were in the capital too. “I will not be going to New Delhi this time as I have to concentrate on my constituency.
But if the high command provides an opportunity, I am ready to serve,” Renukacharya told TNIE. Since assembly elections are approaching, aspirants are getting busy in their constituencies, remarked a party functionary. To that extent, the BJP high command had managed to keep dissidence at bay, or a reshuffle could have boomeranged as there is competition within communities, especially Panchamasali Lingayat leaders. Inducting an aspirant into the cabinet could result in unhappiness among others, and pave the way for dissidence in an election year, observed a leader.
The party high command is likely to take a decision later, as five berths in the Bommai cabinet are vacant. The party is eyeing Old Mysuru region -- from Chitradurga to Chamarajanagara -- and may give it more representation, as Bommai had hinted recently. But the ball is now in the court of the high command.
In Belagavi, Bommai said, “There is no discussion on expansion of the state cabinet as yet. I can speak about it only when the subject is discussed by the high command and a decision is taken. Belagavi is the largest district and will definitely be considered during the cabinet expansion.’’
CM plans to make Shiggaon a textile hub
Haveri: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has plans to make his constituency Shiggaon a textile and garments hub. “We have invited textile industries and educational institutions to invest here,” Bommai said after laying the foundation stone for Shahi readymade garments factory at Munuvalli village near Shiggaon in Haveri district on Thursday. Bommai said that on the lines of Tirupur in Tamil Nadu and Bengaluru, Shiggaon will be developed into a textile hub.
“To set up a textile park here, the government has already released Rs 29 crore. It will provide employment to 4,000 people. With the development of industries in Haveri district, 10,000 people will get jobs by next April,” he added.
Under the Bengaluru-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (BMIC) project, industrial townships will come up at Belagavi, Dharwad, Haveri, Davanagere and Chitradurga. To set up an industrial township in Haveri, the government has instructed the officials to identify 1,000 acres of land in the district. To encourage the dairy sector in Haveri, the work of setting up a separate mega dairy in the district is under progress, he added.