CM Yediyurappa to travel to New Delhi to seek more flood relief
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday said a central team was visiting the flood-hit areas to assess the damage, and that he will also be going to New Delhi to seek more relief from the Centre.
With Yediyurappa's Delhi visit plans, speculations are rife in party circles that he might get a green signal from the BJP high command for the much awaited cabinet expansion or reshuffle.
"In three teams, the central team is visiting flood affected areas, our officials are also with them, after doing the survey, they will meet the Chief Secretary," Yediyurappa said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said last evening he had detailed discussion with the central team members on the destruction caused by floods in the last three successive years and have given a memorandum to the Centre through them.
"Looking at the report they submit to the union government, I will go to Delhi and try to get more relief," he said,adding he has yet to decide on the travel dates.
Karnataka has suffered a loss of Rs 8,071 crore due to the recent floods, Yediyurappa had on Monday informed the six-member inter ministerial central team (IMCT) headed by Ministry of Home Affairs Joint Secretary K V Pratap.
He also said that the guidelines for providing relief under State disaster response fund and National disaster response fund need to be revised this year and requested the Centre to revise it immediately and release more funds to help people in distress.
More than ten districts of the state were affected by floods this year.
Heavy rainfall since August 1 has killed at least 20 people, displaced thousands, damaged more than 10,000 homes and crops in about 4.03 lakh hectares, and wrecked 14,182 km of roads.
It is speculated that Yediyurappa is likely to travel to Delhi ahead of the legislature session from September 21 to 30, during which he is expected to seek approval from party high command for cabinet expansion or approval.
The Chief Minister has reportedly indicated this to his cabinet colleagues during the informal meeting on Monday.
Asked about the meeting with cabinet colleagues, Yediyurappa said the meeting was in view of the upcoming legislature session, and that he has asked them to make required preparations by gathering data, and to inform people with facts about the government's functioning through the assembly.
He did not say anything about the proposed cabinet expansion or reshuffle.
While several of the old guard are awaiting a chance to be inducted into the Ministry, those who defected from the Congress and JD(S) like A H Vishwanath, R Shankar and MTB Nagaraj, who are now BJP MLCs, are also aspiring for slots.
The cabinet currently has 28 members and six berths are still vacant.
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Power struggle in ruling Cong has 'created massive confusion' in Karnataka: BJP leader Ashoka
Bengaluru (PTI): BJP leader R Ashoka on Friday claimed that the ongoing power struggle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar has created massive confusion in Karnataka.
He remarked that the proverb “when two people fight, the third one benefits” has come true, as AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge is also now making efforts to become Chief Minister.
Speaking to reporters here, Ashoka said the entire government has turned into a house of confusion due to the alleged power tussle.
Kharge’s new statement has only added to the chaos, he said.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge had on Friday said that no date has been fixed yet to discuss possible leadership change in Karnataka.
This came a day after Kharge said there was no change of CM in Karnataka "for now" and that the leadership issue in the state would be resolved soon.
The BJP leader said that Kharge too has aspirations and that he was cheated earlier.
"Perhaps he has received a green signal from the Congress high command to become CM. Everyone is already saying Kharge should become CM. Kharge himself has declared, “I am ready to become CM.” Despite many attempts in the past, he never became CM. Now he is trying to seize the opportunity," the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly said.
According to him, the situation in Congress has perfectly become a case of “two people fighting, third one benefits.”
