Tough task ahead for BS Yediyurappa as he works on Cabinet expansion
Bengaluru, Dec 10: As Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa prepares for cabinet expansion after his four month old government retained a majority in the Karnataka assembly by sweeping the bypolls, developments on Tuesday indicated that he has a tough task ahead.
The ruling BJP on Monday had swept the by-elections, winning 12 of the total of 15 seats.
Yediyurappa on Tuesday said he would soon hold discussions with the central leadership on cabinet expansion.
"In another three to four days I will go to Delhi to meet Amit Shah (BJP National President) and Prime Minister (Narendra Modi), when they decide we will do it (Cabinet expansion)," Yediyurappa said here.
"As I had given an assurance that those who had resigned and came out of (Congress and JD(S)) and won the bypolls..making them Ministers is our responsibility, I have accepted it and will execute it hundred per cent," he told reporters.
Eleven of the 13 disqualified legislators,who successfully contested the bypolls on BJP tickets, are expected to become Ministers soon.
However, cabinet expansion will not be an easy task as Yediyurappa will have to strike a balance by accommodating the victorious disqualified legislators as he had promised and also make place for old guards, 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 that already has eight Lingayats, including the CM, three Vokkaligas, three from Scheduled Caste, two OBCs, one Scheduled Tribe and a Brahmin.
Region-wise,Bengaluru Urban, with four Ministers and Belagavi and Shivamogga, with two each, have a larger share in the Ministry.
Including the Chief Minister, there are currently 18 ministers in the cabinet, whose sanctioned strength is 34.
With indications about cabinet expansions on the cards, several ministerial aspirants, both old and newly-elected,have met Chief Minister to push their case, party sources said.
A few senior BJP leaders like Umesh Katti (eight time MLA) and Thippareddy (six- time MLA) who were not accommodated in the first round, are among the front-runners for berths.
In fact, Thippareddy supporters in Chitradurga staged a demonstration, demanding that he be made a Minister.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Yediyurappa, K C Narayana Gowda,newly elected BJP MLA from K R Pete,who ensured the first ever victory for the party in the Vokkaliga bastion of Mandya district said, "Whatever the Chief Minister gives, I will accept it. I have not made any demand."
There are also demands from supporters of disqualified legislators who had contested the bypolls on the BJP ticket and lost- A H Vishwanath (Hunasuru) and MTB Nagaraj (Hosakote)- to make them Ministers.
Not willing to respond to a question on this,Yediyurappa said "I don't want to talk about them (to media), I will talk to them personally."
Recently there was speculation in BJP circles that all disqualified legislators who contested the bypolls on the party ticket would be made Ministers, irrespective of whether they won or not and MLC option was being considered to make them ministers.
However, some senior party leaders are said to be opposed to this idea.
Meanwhile, disqualified legislators who were elected as BJP MLAs maintained that all disqualified legislators, whether they won or lost, were united and would meet soon.
"MTB Nagaraj and Vishwanth lost due to various reasons.
There is no question of leaving them alone. All of us (who were disqualified) are together, we will call and talk to them.
We are all one, whether we have won or lost," newly elected BJP MLA from Yeshwanthpura, S T Somashekar said.
Alleging that injustice has been meted out to Nagaraj and Vishwanath, newly elected Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, without divulging more details,said "we will try to rectify it,I don't want to talk more about it. On certain things I cannot talk."
He also said that all the disqualified legislators would meet soon and hold discussions.
Allocating plum portfolios will be another hard task that Yediyurappa will have to tackle with and strike a balance between old and the new BJP MLAs.
Newly elected K R Puram MLA Byrathi Basavaraj on Tuesday told reporters he has sought the plum Bengaluru Development Ministry, from the Chief Minister, a department which several senior BJP Ministers have set their eyes on.
"CM had said that I will be given Ministerial post.I asked for Bengaluru Development related Ministry as I have experience on city affairs.I have also given a few alternative portfolios. Let's see what Chief Minister decides," he said.
On Tuesday,Yediyurappa also took up the task of pacifying Nagaraj who was defeated in Hosakote and is upset over BJP MP B N Bachegowda allegedly working against him in the bypolls.
Nagaraj, who met Yediyurappa, reportedly complained against Bachegowda, whose son Sharath Bachegowda won as an independent from Hoskote against him
He accused the MP of working in favour of his son instead of the party's official candidate, leading to his defeat.
Later in the day, Yediyurappa also visited Naragarj's residence and said he will talk to the party leadership about giving a "suitable position" to him.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
