Bengaluru: Discussions on the much-awaited expansion or reshuffle of Karnataka cabinet have once again come to the fore with Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Saturday saying he will hold talks in this connection with BJP national General Secretary in-charge of the state Arun Singh.
Speaking to reporters, he said, "He (Singh) has come, I will discuss with him."
He was responding to a question about the cabinet expansion. The Chief Minister later met Singh, who arrived in the state capital, ahead of their travel to Shivamogga
Singh is on a visit to the state to participate in the special meeting of the state BJP and also its core committee in Shivamogga on Saturday and Sunday.
Yediyurappa will be part of these meetings. There has been talk within the state BJP that the expansion or reshuffle was likely this month.
Yediyurappa has been waiting for some time now to carry out the cabinet exercise, as he was asked by BJP national president J P Nadda during their meeting in New Delhi on November 18, to wait for the clearance from the central leadership.
The cabinet expansion or reshuffle is expected to be a tightrope walk for the Chief Minister, considering that there are too many aspirants, from the party old guard to Congress- JD(S) rebels, who are now BJP legislators.
The cabinet currently has 27 members, and seven berths are still vacant.
Ruling out leadership change, Yediyurappa earlier this week had asserted that he will remain in the post for the remaining over two year period and complete the term, and there was no confusion regarding this within the ruling BJP.
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Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.
The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.
The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.
They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.
Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.
