Portfolio allocation causes displeasure among some Ministers in Karnataka

A week after expanding hiscabinet, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Thursdayallocated portfolios to seven new ministers and alsoreshuffled the departments of some others.

The exercise, however, did not go down well with asection of his ministerial colleagues, who are sore over thedepartments allocated to them and some did not attend thecabinet meeting held after the reshuffle.

Earlier, as the resentment among a few Ministers came outin the open, Yediyurappa, sought to brush it aside, sayingsome kind of displeasure was normal whenever portfolios werechanged and that he has convinced them.

However, despite efforts by him and his aides to bringaround those upset, at least four - K Sudhakar, K Gopalaiah,J C Madhuswamy and M T B Nagaraj, according to officialsources, were not present in the cabinet meet chaired byYediyurappa in the evening, signalling all was still not well.

But, clarifying about the absence of the Ministers, HomeMinister Basavaraj Bommai said they had taken prior permissionfrom the Chief Minister.

''The Chief Minister has spoken to Ministers regardingportfolios allocated to them, there is no disgruntlement. Ourleadership and party has the capacity to resolve such issues.

Such reactions are normal during expansion or portfolioallocation,'' he told reporters after the cabinet meeting.

Earlier in the day following an official notificationallocating portfolios, Madhuswamy skipped an event ofYediyurappa in his home district Tumakuru, apparentlyupset over losing some ministries held by him.

A few Congress-JD(S) rebels-turned BJP ministers likeNagaraj, Gopalaiah and K C Narayana Gowda, met at HealthMinister K Sudhakar's residence and held a closed doordiscussion.

Subsequently, Bommai and Revenue Minister R Ashok,deputed by Yediyurappa, held talks with them following whichthey met the chief minister at his residence.

After the meeting, Yediyurappa said all the Ministerswere at ease and there was no resentment.

''I have called them and spoken to them, everyone issatisfied...I have spoken to everyone personally,'' he said,cabinet expansion or portfolio allocation was not an easy jobas everyone cannot be satisfied.

''Within the limitations, I have shared theresponsibilities, let them work, after some days if they stillfind issues, let's consider changing then,'' he added.

Nagaraj and Gopalaiah during an interaction with themedia indicated they have relented, but did not turn up at thecabinet meeting.

These Ministers are upset over portfolios allocated tothem or over the departments divested from them during thereallocation.

Madhuswamy was relieved of Law, Parliamentary Affairs,Legislation and Minor Irrigation portfolios and allocatedMedical Education, Kannada and Culture departments.

He rejected reports that he was planning to resign, butsaid he had requested the Chief Minister not to change MinorIrrigation portfolio which was with him.

The Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation departmentwas given to Bommai as an additional portfolio.

Nagaraj said there was nothing for him to do in theExcise department and he has informed the Chief Minister thathe doesn't want it.

Nagaraj said he was a Housing Minister in the previousJDS-Congress coalition government where there were programmesproviding houses to poor and developing slums.

''I resigned from the post and came out, I'm now giventhe Excise portfolio (in this government). What is there to doin the excise department?'' he asked.

Narayana Gowda, given Youth Empowerment, Sports, Haj andWakf in place of Municipal Administration, Horticulture andSericulture, and Gopalaiah, divested of the Food, CivilSupplies and Consumers Affairs Department and made incharge ofHorticulture and Sugar, also expressed displeasure.

While Sudhakar holds the Health department, he wasrelieved of the Medical Education portfolio.

Among the new Ministers, Umesh Katti got Food, CivilSupplies and Consumer Affairs while S Angara has beengiven Fisheries, Ports and Inland Transport.

Murugesh Nirani will be the Mines and Geology ministerand Arvind Limbavali gets Forest Department, according to anofficial gazette notification.

R Shankar got Municipal Administration and Sericultureportfolio while C P Yogeshwar will be in charge of MinorIrrigation department.

The Forest Department has been taken back from AnandSingh, who has now been given the Tourism portfolio inaddition to Environment and Ecology.

C C Patil, who earlier held Mines and Geology, has nowbeen given charge of Small Scale Industries and Informationand Public Relations department.

Minister Kota Srinivas Poojari has been relieved from theresponsibility of Fisheries, Ports and Inland TransportDepartment and will now have Muzrai and Backward ClassesWelfare Department.

While Haj and Wakf Department has been taken back fromAnimal Husbandry Minister Prabhu Chauhan, Labour Minister A.

Shivaram Hebbar has lost the Sugar department.

The Chief Minister has kept the Department of Personneland Administrative Reforms (DPAR), Cabinet Affairs, Finance,Bangalore Development, Energy, Intelligence, Planning,Programme Monitoring Statistics, Infrastructure Developmentand all unallocated portfolios with himself.

Ending a long wait, Yediyurappa expanded his 17-month oldcabinet on January 13, by inducting seven ministers and alsodropped H Nagesh who was holding the Excise portfolio, but theexercise led to resentment with several aspirants expressingreservations over not being included in the ministry.

Agains the sanctioned strength of 34, the Yediyurappacabinet now as 33 members.