CM Yediyurappa to leave for Delhi on Jan 30 to discuss Ministry expansion with high command
Bengaluru, Jan 29: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday said he would leave for New Delhi on January 30 to discuss the much awaited Ministry expansion with the BJP high command and expressed confidence that the exercise would be completed in a couple of days.
He also indicated the possibility of a cabinet rejig and noted that the call will be taken by the party leadership.
Speaking to reporters in Belagavi, he said that in the backdrop of ongoing talk in the state that the exercise was getting delayed, he would leave for Delhi tomorrow and meet the party national president J P Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and try to expand the ministry as soon as possible in two or three days.
To a question on reports that the expansion exercise was scheduled for January 31,he said "I'm going to Delhi tomorrow.
If possible, tomorrow or within two days (it will be done),but I will go tomorrow and get it (list of Ministers) cleared."
Yediyurappa has been anxiously waiting for the high command's nod to expand his ministry amid intense lobbying by the aspirants.
Opposition parties also have been critical of BJP and Yediyurappa over the delay in cabinet expansion, alleging that he was weak and that the administration had collapsed.
As the Chief Minister has already made it clear that 11 of the disqualified JDS-Congress MLAs who got re-elected in the bypolls on BJP tickets will be made ministers, lobbying has been on in the party for the remaining ministerial berths.
Currently there are 18 Ministers, including the Chief Minister in the cabinet that has a sanctioned strength of 34. Sixteen are vacant.
To a question, Yediyurappa said "those who have come with us (BJP) in Belagavi district and have won the bypolls, they will all become Ministers and Umesh Katti (eight-time MLA) will also become Minister.
"Let's see if Delhi leaders desire to drop one or two (from the Ministry), I'm not sure...
let's see what all happens in Delhi during discussions with the high command," he added.
Belagavi district,with two Ministers-Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi and Minister for Women and Child Welfare Shashikala Jolle- may get the lion's share in the expansion.
With the addition of three defectors who won on BJP tickets in the bypolls- Ramesh Jarkiholi (Gokak), Mahesh Kumthalli (Athani) and Srimanth Patil(Kagwad) and senior party legislator Katti (Hukkeri), the district's tally will increase to six.
The Chief Minister however ruled out creating any more posts of Deputy Chief Minister and said that three DCMs who are currently there will continue.
"...currently three are DCMs (Laxman Savadi, C N Ashwathnarayan, Govind Karjol). They will continue and I will not make anyone else the Deputy Chief Minister," he said.
Amid talks that at least one more DCM post may be created, Health Minister Sriramulu and his supporters have openly expressed a desire for the post.
Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, who played an instrumental role in the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government and paved the way for BJP to come to power, is also seen as a contender for the Deputy Chief Minister's post.
The cabinet expansion will not be an easy task for Yediyurappa as he has to strike a balance by accommodating the victorious disqualified legislators as promised and also make place for the old guard, upset at being "neglected" in the first round of the induction exercise.
He also has to give adequate representation to various castes and regions in his cabinet and deal with allocation of key portfolios.
The cabinet already has eight Lingayats, including the Chief Minister, three Vokkaligas, three from Scheduled Caste,twoOBCs, one Scheduled Tribe and a Brahmin.
Among the winners likely to be inducted are three Lingayats, four Vokkaligas and one Kuruba, which will increase the number of Lingayats to 12 (including Umesh Katti) and Vokkaligas to seven.
Region-wise, Bengaluru Urban, with four Ministers, and Belagavi and Shivamogga, with two each, have a larger share in the Ministry.
With the induction of the newly elected, Bengaluru will get three more Ministers and Belagavi four (along with Katti), which may trigger criticism of regional imbalance in the Ministry.
Despite Yediyurappa categorically ruling out induction of defected candidates who were defeated in the bypoll, demands for A H Vishwanath (Hunsur) to be made Minister and disqualified legislator R Shankar who was not given a ticket to contest bypolls, but promised a ministerial post, openly expressing his ministerial aspirations, has added to the Chief Minister's worries.
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India-bound LPG tanker clears Hormuz
New Delhi (PTI): A tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for India has sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz and is now headed towards the country, an official statement said on Sunday.
The Marshall Islands-flagged LPG carrier MT Sarv Shakti, loaded with 46,313 tonnes of LPG and staffed by 20 crew, including 18 Indians, cleared the key shipping chokepoint on May 2 and is expected to reach Visakhapatnam on May 13, it said.
The cargo -- enough to meet half a days requirement of the country -- will partly tide over supply constraints being faced since the start of the West Asia conflict more than two months back.
Ship-tracking data showed its position in Oman Gulf on Sunday evening.
The very large gas carrier has previously made runs between the Persian Gulf and Indian ports, has been chartered by state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
Sarv Shakti is the first India-linked tanker to cross the war zone since a weeks-old US blockade of ships tied to Iran began, pushing transits through Hormuz back down to almost zero.
There are as many as 14 Indian flagged or India-owned vessels still stranded on the west side of the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement said no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels has been reported in the past 24 hours. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is working closely with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions and maritime stakeholders to ensure crew welfare and uninterrupted operations.
The Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) control room has handled 8,373 calls and more than 17,965 emails since activation, including 38 calls and 127 emails in the last 24 hours.
India has also facilitated the repatriation of more than 2,953 seafarers so far, including 31 in the past day from across the Gulf region.
Port operations across the country remain normal with no congestion reported, the statement added.
