Will expand Ministry in 3-4 days: CM Yediyurappa
Bengaluru, Jan 24: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday said the much awaited expansion of his ministry will be carried out in three to four days.
On his arrival here from Davos after attending the World Economic Forum meet, he reiterated that he will keep up the promise of making disqualified JDS-Congress MLAs, who got re-elected in the bypolls on BJP tickets, as ministers.
"Tomorrow, Amit Shah (Union Home Minister) is coming, I had discussed with him during the recent visit also, in three to four days cabinet will be expanded, will do it hundred per cent within this month.
I will speak to him (Shah) and fix the date, I will also request him to be there (during expansion) if possible," Yediyurappa said.
Speaking to reporters, he said there was no need for him to travel to Delhi, as he has already had discussion with Shah and has got approval for the exercise.
"I will speak to him (Shah) once again (tomorrow), release the list (of ministers) and expand the cabinet with swearing-in ceremony in three to four days," he said, adding that Shah will be visiting the city to attend some programme.
The Chief Minister who had begun his Davos tour on January 19, returned to the city on Friday afternoon.
Yediyurappa, who was anxiously waiting for the high command's nod to expand his ministry amid intense lobbying by the aspirants, was keen on getting approval for the exercise from Shah, ahead of his Davos tour.
Though party sources have said he will have to go to Delhi and discuss with new party national president J P Nadda on the ministry expansion exercise, the Chief Minister has maintained that there was no need for him to travel to the national capital.
Responding to a question as to how many legislators who won the bypolls will be made ministers, Yediyurappa said "You will get to know about it once the cabinet expansion is done, wait till then."
To a question on talks that seven out of 11 legislators who won the bybolls after they were disqualified, will be made ministers, he said "there was no truth in that.
If there is anything particular, I will think and talk about it, but as I had promised they will get opportunity in the ministry."
With high command reportedly not keen on making all the 11 re-elected legislators ministers, whom Yediyurappa has given assurance, it remains to be seen how things turn out.
Not wanting to react on criticism from a few aspirants, about the delay in ministry expansion, he said "it is true that there has been a delay, in three days cabinet expansion will be done.
It is my duty to fulfill the promise that I had made to some people, I will fulfill it."
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.
Cabinet expansion will not be an easy task for the Chief Minister as he will have 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 also deal with allocation of key portfolios.
Also, disqualified legislators who lost on a BJP ticket during the bypoll like A H Vishwanath (Hunsur) openly expressing their ministerial aspirations has added to the Chief Minister's worry.
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England sticking with Key, McCullum and Stokes despite Ashes humbling
London (AP): England is not sacking anybody following the 4-1 Ashes loss in Australia.
A review of the tour by the England and Wales Cricket Board, announced within hours of the final match in January, was concluded on Monday. Firing people would “be the easy thing to do,” ECB chief executive Richard Gould said but he insisted, "This is not the time to throw everything out."
Managing director Rob Key, coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes kept their jobs after the best England side to go to Australia in 14 years lost the Ashes in 11 days with two games to spare.
“Moving people on can sometimes be the easy thing to do. That's not the route that we're going to take,” Gould said. “I've seen the driving ambition and determination that we're lucky enough to have within our leadership group to take the lessons from the Ashes and move forward.”
Gould previously was the chief executive of Bristol City soccer club and said the ECB would not follow the same route as soccer's hire-and-fire culture.
“Cricket is a very unique sport in that it takes a team of leadership ... it's not like football where there's a single point of failure or success with a manager," he said. He added the ECB would not “select or deselect management based on a popularity campaign.”
The main criticisms of England's tour were poor preparation, player misbehavior, and selection mistakes.
At a press conference at Lord's, Gould and Key said McCullum and Stokes have not had a “bust up,” they did not want McCullum to “completely change” but “to evolve,” the behavior of some players was “unprofessional,” there will be more consequences for underperforming, and a commitment to “better long-term planning” ahead of major test series.
Some changes were already implemented for the Twenty20 World Cup, where England reached the semifinals. Gould implied that performance saved McCullum.
Key acknowledged that England supporters would be disappointed to see the management team go unpunished.
“I know people want punishment and that people then should be sacked for that,” Key said. “That doesn't mean we don't feel like we've gone through some serious pain: Brendon, myself, Ben. It's been as tough a time as I think I've had.”
