BENGALURU: Chief minister BS Yediyurappa’s decision to retain the Bengaluru development portfolio has not gone down well with his cabinet colleagues, who fear the step might hurt BJP’s prospects in the upcoming BBMP polls.
When Yediyurappa expanded the cabinet last week, ministers thought he would hand over Bengaluru development and energy portfolios as they demand a lot of time and effort. But he chose to retain it, citing competition among ministers. Currently, he holds eight major portfolios, including finance.
“It seems the chief minister doesn’t have confidence in his team; he thinks no one else is capable of handling such important portfolios. What other inference can one draw? There are eight ministers from Bengaluru city. One of them should have been given the responsibility,” said a minister, who didn’t want to be named.
Deputy chief minister CN Ashwath Narayan and ministers R Ashoka, V Somanna and Aravind Limbavali had lobbied hard for Bengaluru development.
On Wednesday, Congress appointed R Ramalinga Reddy as a KPCC working president, apparently with an eye on the BBMP elections. To counter Reddy, a senior minister from the city should have been assigned the charge of Bengaluru development, said a senior BJP functionary.
“BJP is under pressure to win the elections as it is governing the state. The CM cannot take a risk at this time,’’ the functionary said. Another BJP insider also said that a dedicated minister was required for Bengaluru development. “A lot of work is going on in the city and it needs to be monitored constantly. There are also administrative issues, which require day-to-day redressal. Does the CM have time for all this?” he added.
Another minister said that non-allocation of Bengaluru development and energy portfolios would lead to a lot of discomfort among ministers. “Since Yediyurappa cannot devote much time, he will depend on ministers and MLAs who are part of his inner circle. This will upset other cabinet members. This could have been avoided with an independent minister,” he added.