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Business News/ Companies / News/  Yediyurappa inducts 17 ministers into his cabinet
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Yediyurappa inducts 17 ministers into his cabinet

Cabinet formation was entirely directed by the national leadership, say party leaders
  • Three Vokkaligas—Dr. C.N Ashwath Narayan, C.T.Ravi and R.Ashok—are part of the cabinet
  • Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa (right) and governor Vajubhai Vala (centre) with former deputy chief minister K.S. Eshwarappa during the swearing-in ceremony of the BJP government in Bengaluru. (Photo: PTI)Premium
    Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa (right) and governor Vajubhai Vala (centre) with former deputy chief minister K.S. Eshwarappa during the swearing-in ceremony of the BJP government in Bengaluru. (Photo: PTI)

    BENGALURU : Sixteen Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators, and one independent were inducted into chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa’s cabinet in Karnataka on Tuesday, ending weeks of political uncertainty that had engulfed the flood-ravaged state.

    The cabinet formation was almost entirely directed by the national leadership, and was indicative of how the Amit Shah-led party will not only contain the clout of Yediyurappa, but also control decision-making of the Karnataka government, analysts and party leaders said.

    The fact that Yediyurappa was made to wait to form the cabinet, his limited involvement and inability to get the national leadership to sign off all his nominations, was indicative of the Lingayat strongman’s waning influence within the party since 2008.

    “Unlike 2008, the new leadership under Shah will not give a free hand to Yediyurappa," said A. Narayana, a political analyst and faculty at the Azim Premji University.

    The inclusion of known opponents of Yediyurappa such as K.S. Eshwarappa and C.T. Ravi into the cabinet also seemed to be part of the BJP’s plans to keep the CM under check.

    The BJP continued to patronize the Lingayats by inducting eight members, including Yediyurappa, into the cabinet, and rewarding the community for its unwavering support for the BJP in both the assembly and the Lok Sabha elections. Shashikala Jolle is the lone woman minister in the new cabinet.

    Former Karnataka CM Jagadish Shettar, who served from July 2012 to May 2013, was also inducted. Three Vokkaligas—Dr. C.N Ashwath Narayan, C.T. Ravi and R. Ashok—are also part of the cabinet to help the party make inroads into south Karnataka. Vokkaligas are believed to have consolidated behind former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular), or JD(S), in recent years.

    B. Sreeramulu, from the Valmiki community (Scheduled Tribe), and a close aide of illegal mining kingpin G. Janardhana Reddy was included in the cabinet. Reddy was the biggest reason for the downfall of Yediyurappa in 2010 and the eventual collapse of the BJP’s first government in south India.

    Shah on Tuesday appointed Nalin Kumar Kateel as the new BJP state president, replacing Yediyurappa. Kateel is a three-time member of parliament from Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka.

    Political analysts said Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will monitor the functioning of the state government to ensure corruption-free governance and reinstate its reputation. The party’s disastrous term between 2008 and 2013 was fraught with corruption allegations, which saw three chief ministers taking turns to rule the state.

    Incidentally, the BJP took office this time much the same way as it did earlier, by allegedly engineering defections within the Congress-JD(S) coalition to topple the H.D. Kumaraswamy-led government. At least 17 legislators resigned since 1 July and have since approached the Supreme Court to overturn the disqualification verdict that bars them from contesting the upcoming by polls.

    The party also rewarded Ashwath Narayan and Savadhi for their alleged role in shielding rebel Congress and JD(S) MLAs, who helped the BJP wrestle power from the coalition government. Savadhi is not a member of the legislature and will have to be elected within six months. Arvind Limbavali, the other ‘handler’ of rebels has, however, not been included in the cabinet.

    Senior leaders of the party said at least 10-12 members from this group will be accommodated into the cabinet subsequently, leaving little room for the BJP’s own members. Tuesday also witnessed protests from supporters of leaders who were left out of the cabinet.

    “There is no formula to satisfy all legislators. There is bound to be dissent, but it will die down," said a senior leader.

    The decision not to include even one elected member from the coastal districts that gave the BJP 16 out of the total 19 seats in the three districts has not gone down well with supporters.

    One leader expressed his displeasure stating that the Panchamashali’s--a sub-sect of Lingayats--was not included in the cabinet.

    “There is no one who can sustain a rebellion as it will be seen as going against Shah, Modi and not Yediyurappa," Narayana said.

    The party has also filled in only half of the total 34 ministerial berths, leaving enough rooms to placate any dissidents, leaders say.

    Though delayed, the partial filling of cabinet berths is likely to calm the politically volatile environment in Karnataka even though uncertainty is expected to continue until the bypolls in which a weakened Congress and JD(S) are hoping to get back at the BJP.

    Opposition leaders say that Yediyurappa’s working style, leaving out seniors and dissent, will not allow the government to complete its full term.

    The BJP has also included three legislators from groups classified as Scheduled Castes. Eshwarappa from the Kuruba community and Kota Srinivas Poojari from the Billava community are classified under OBC (other backward classes). To be sure, Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities are also classified under OBC in Karnataka. S.Suresh Kumar is the lone member from the Brahmin community in the 17-member cabinet.

    There are four legislators from Bengaluru, six from Mumbai-Karnataka, two from Malnad, two from south Karnataka and one each from Hyderabad-Karanataka, coast and central districts of the state.

    The decision to include an unelected Savadi over Balachandra Jarkiholi is likely to go against the party as the sugar barons from Belagavi have had at least one member of the family as a minister since 2005. Balachandra is with the BJP while Satish is with the Congress. Ramesh Jarkiholi was one of the first to initiate the rebellion within the Congress and is now tipped to join the BJP.

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    Published: 20 Aug 2019, 10:15 PM IST
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