BS Yediyurappa gets cabinet-rank status, courtesy Basavaraj Bommai

BENGALURU: Former chief minister BS Yediyurappa has been given cabinet-rank status by his successor Basavaraj Bommai.
An order was issued on Saturday, which said he will enjoy the status till Bommai remains at the helm. This is the first time in Karnataka that such a status has been accorded to an ex-CM without him holding a statutory post.
Sources said the status was given mainly to ensure Yediyurappa retains his official bungalow Cauvery, the designated residence of the CM, although he is bound to get an official car to move around besides perks and other allowances.
This will leave Bommai without an official residence as of now.
Currently, he is functioning from his family home in RT Nagar, which is on a site that was allotted to his father and former CM, SR Bommai, in the early 1990s.
According to a member in Yediyurappa’s office, the former CM wanted to retain Cauvery bungalow as it is closer to the seat of power.
In 2018-19, former CM Siddaramaiah continued to reside in Cauvery when HD Kumaraswamy took over as chief minister in the JDSCongress government.
Though he did not avail cabinet-rank status, he got the bungalow allotted to KJ George, who was a minister in the coalition government.
Siddaramaiah moved out after BJP formed the government in 2019 and Yediyurappa occupied the bungalow because it proved lucky for Siddaramaiah since he was the only CM after Devaraj Urs to complete full term.
According to officials, the administration gives official residences to only cabinet members. But the CM can recommend them for MLAs. Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda also enjoyed cabinet-rank status for some years after stepping down.
“Governments according cabinetrank status to people occupying a position is common. A former chief minister getting the status because of being a former CM may be a first time. This tag being conferred is possibly a reflection of his contribution and also to assuage him on not having his way in the manner he would have liked the cabinet to be structured,’’ said Sandeep Shastri, a political analyst.