K’taka cabinet expansion ruffles many feathers, upsets BJP leaders

Bengaluru, Jan 13 : Disgruntlement among BJP leaders came to the fore the moment Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Wednesday read out the list of seven ministers to be inducted into his 17-month old cabinet.
Several BJP legislators expressed serious reservations over three MLCs — C.P. Yogeshwara, M.T.B. Nagaraj and R. Shankar — being made ministers, exposing the lack of representation of the coastal and central regions in the cabinet, with most ministers still coming from Bengaluru and Belagavi districts, not consideraing the seniority or sacrifice made by some party leaders.
The decision to induct MLAs Umesh Katti, Arvind Limbavali, Murugesh Rudrappa Nirani and S. Angara, and MLCs C.P. Yogeshwara, M.T.B. Nagaraj and R. Shankar into the state cabinet has given rise to discontent across social media platforms.
From the beginning, the cabinet expansion was seen as a tightrope walk for the Chief Minister, considering that there were too many aspirants, from the party’s old guards to Congress-JD(S) rebels who are now BJP legislators.
“These MLCs have been rejected by the people, whereas we are elected by the people but our seniority and sacrifices have not been taken into consideration while carrying out such an important exercise,” said several BJP MLAs, who were aspirants for a cabinet berth.
Another big grouse is that with the induction of Limbavali, Yediyurappa’s cabinet will now have eight ministers representing Bengaluru, followed by five from Belgavi with the induction of Katti. The move has again brought to the fore the debate over regional imbalance.