BSY reshuffles portfolios of new minsters within 24 hours

BENGALURU: Within 24 hours after allocating portfolios to 10 newly-inducted ministers, chief minister BS Yediyurappa was forced to reshuffle portfolios of some of these ministers bowing to their pressure tactics for ‘respectable’ ministries.
Yediyurappa on Tuesday changed portfolios of three ministers BC Patil, Anand Singh and K Gopalaiah besides allocating an additional portfolio each to Shivaram Hebbar, Srimanth Patil and Byrathi Basavaraj.
The move comes comes after these ministers met Yediyurappa late on Monday night and expressed their displeasure over portfolios allocated to them. They reportedly threatened not to assume office until their demands are met forcing the CM to effect changes early on Tuesday morning.
BC Patil now got the agriculture department in lieu of forest ministry, which was allocated to him on Monday. Anand Singh, who was unhappy with the food and civil supplies ministry, is given forest, environment and ecology. Gopalaiah who was unhappy over getting small scale industries department, is pacified with the food and civil supplies ministry.
“I am agriculture minister now and I am very happy. Now I can be with farmers,” said BC Patil after the reshuffle.
Meanwhile, the CM also expanded the profile of the the urban development ministry allocated to Byrathi Basvaraj by including the Karnataka urban water supply and drainage board and Karnataka urban infrastructure development and finance corporation.
Shivaram Hebbar is given additional responsibility of sugar ministry along with labour which was allocated to him on Monday. Srimanth Patil is also given an additional portfolio in minority welfare department along with the textile.
The exercise of reshuffling of portfolios is likely to continue with minister K Sudhakar is also reportedly not happy with the medical education porftolio allocated to him and pulling strings to get ministry of his choice.
Meanwhile Mahesh Kumathalli, who was made chairman of the Mysore Sales International Limited (MSIL) refused to take charge embarassing CM further. Kumathalli is keen on becoming minister.
BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal urged the CM to induct Kumathalli into the cabinet. “Kumathalli, who was responsible for BJP to come to power, must be made minister. It was promised to him. Otherwise, Yediyurappa will be known as betryer,” Yatnal told reporters in Vijayapura.