BJP central leadership to clear list of 13-14 probables as ministers in first phase in Karnataka
Bengaluru, Aug 18: With the much awaited expansion of Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's cabinet in Karnataka to take place on August 20, the wait is now on for the BJP's central leadership to clear the list of 13-14 probables as Ministers in the first phase, top party leaders said here on Sunday.
Yediyurappa and the state leadership are expected to get clear instructions from the high command about those to be inducted into the Ministry on Monday.
Having run the government with a one-man cabinet for 22 days, Yediyurappa on Saturday finally managed to get the nod from BJP national president Amit Shah to undertake the exercise on August 20.
Yediyurappa, who took oath as Chief Minister on July 26 and proved his government's majority on the floor of the assembly on July 29, is yet to induct any minister into his cabinet.
Meanwhile, the BJP legislature party meeting scheduled for Tuesday morning ahead of the cabinet expansion has been postponed.
"On Tuesday, looking at a good time, cabinet expansion will be done by the afternoon. There will be no legislature party meeting that day. We will do it after four days.
All our MLAs, MLCs, MPs, all our leaders and central Ministers have been requested to attend the swearing-in ceremony," Yediyurappa told reporters on Sunday.
Senior party functionaries said though many names were doing the rounds in the media, a clear picture would emerge once the list submitted by the state leadership to the high command is cleared by Amit Shah, expected on Monday afternoon.
Yediyurappa too had said after his return here from Delhi late on Saturday that he was expecting clear instructions on Monday from the central leadership on those who are to be inducted into the Ministry.
"By Monday afternoon we will get a clear instruction on who all to be inducted. I have held discussions with Amit Shah and other leaders," he had said.
Asked about the number of Ministers likely to be inducted on Tuesday, he said "13 to 14 people are likely to be inducted into the cabinet in the first phase. There may be plus or minus one or two...we have now recommended 13 to 14 of them."
Yediyurappa has had a tightrope to walk during the cabinet expansion as he has to craft a fine caste and regional balance in view of the large number of aspirants, sources said.
However, with no decision yet by the Supreme Court on the disqualified Congress-JD(S) MLAs, whose resignations from the Assembly paved the way for the BJP to gain power, the Chief Minister has no immediate compulsion to accommodate them.
The then speaker Ramesh Kumar had disqualified 17 Congress-JD(S) rebels under the anti-defection law till the end of the assembly term, which they have challenged in the Supreme Court.
Only if they get any relief from the Apex Court can these disqualified MLA contest the bypolls.
Sources said that if they get re-elected, BJP planned to make them Ministers as promised and hence Yediyurappa would not be filling all 34 ministerial positions in one go.
They also said that one interesting aspect was that BJP MLAs have not openly expressed their ministerial aspirations or indulged in intense lobbying like in the past, as they fear it may go against them.
However, expressing confidence that he would be made a Minister, considering his seniority, eight-time MLA Umesh Katti Sunday said even if it did not materialise, he would "happily" work as a legislator for the people of his constituency that was affected by floods, while hoping for a larger representation for Belagavi district in the cabinet.
Meanwhile, several senior BJP legislators like V Somanna, Ashwathnarayan and C C Patil, among others, visited Yediyurappa's residence on Sunday, ahead of the cabinet exercise.
Amid pressure from within, the opposition Congress and JD(S) too had hit out at the BJP over the delay in cabinet expansion and had even raised questions about the government's "existence".
The Congress had even said Yediyurappa's one man cabinet administration "resembled President's rule."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
