BENGALURU: With chief minister Basavaraj Bommai set to fly to Delhi on Monday, aspirants aiming for a cabinet berth are hoping it would be expanded or rejigged.
However, since ministerial aspirants far outnumber vacant berths — just four — many aspirants are demanding a complete overhaul just as was done in Gujarat where the entire cabinet, including the CM, was replaced.
They argue that many in the cabinet have been ministers whenever the party came to power in the state, and they must be dropped to make way for new faces. While legislators like MP Renukacharya and Basanagouda Patil Yatnal have been brazen about it, many MLAs privately endorse their view. For instance, KS Eshwarappa, R Ashoka, Umesh Katti, and CC Patil have been made ministers two or three times, while many who have been elected MLAs four or five times have not been made ministers.
“This discrepancy should be addressed,” said a senior MLA. “The only way to achieve it is to drop some ministers and induct those who have been deprived of an opportunity. ” But many believe a Gujarat-style overhaul is easier said than done. “The political landscape in Gujarat and Karnataka are completely different,” said a senior party functionary.
“Gujarat has been a bastion of the BJP and is the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, so the party can afford such experiments. Replicating it here is politically unfeasible, especially now since former CM BS Yediyurappa has been moved to the backstage. ” Also, a lot of thinking goes into cabinet changes, especially in an election year.
“If a person is capable of winning elections on his own and can influence other constituencies, s/he will not be touched no matter how much detractors hate him/her,” another functionary said. “So, the argument that somebody should be removed based on the number of times s/he became minister holds no water. ” Yet, party insiders suggest two or three ministers could be dropped, besides filling the four vacancies. “Since assembly elections are fast approaching, the party cannot afford to overlook demands of MLAs.
So, to keep them happy, the party may effect a minor rejig,” said an MLA from the Kalyana-Karnataka region. Ganesh Karnik, state BJP spokesperson, said the high command and state leaders will take the right decision at the right time. “One thing is certain: There will be no change in leadership,” he said.
