Yediyurappa cabinet expansion set for Wednesday; 7-8 new Ministers to take oath: CM
Bengaluru: The much-awaited Karnataka Cabinet expansion would take place on Wednesday with the induction of 7-8 ministers, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said on Tuesday.
The BJP veteran also indicated one minister might be dropped in the rejig, the third of the 17-month old ministry.
"....new Ministers will take oath at the Raj Bhavan at around 3:30 pm tomorrow, the list of seven or eight ministers who will be inducted will be released in due course," he told reporters here.
Asked will anyone be dropped from the 27-member Ministry as there were only seven vacant berths, he said: "It is being discussed, we will see, we may have to drop someone, will think about it and make a decision... there is no confusion."
The announcement comes two days after Yediyurappa finalized the expansion at a meeting with top BJP leaders, including party chief J P Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.
This would be a third expansion of the cabinet since Yediyurappa assumed charge in July 2019 after the collapse of the Congress-JDS government in the wake of a revolt by 17 MLAs of the coalition partners.
A state Information Department release said Governor Vajubhai Vala will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the new members who will be inducted to the Cabinet at 3.50 pm at the Glass House of Raj Bhavan on Wednesday.
Yediyurappa, who had been planning the expansion for several months, had on Monday said Nadda and party General Secretary in-charge of state Arun Singh will be invited for the swearing-in.
However, there was no official word so far on their participation in the function.
There are speculations within the BJP circles and also in a section of the media that a couple of Ministers are likely to be dropped in the exercise.
Excise Minister H Nagesh and Women and Child Development Minister Shashikala Jolle, whose names are doing the rounds, have maintained they had not heard from the Chief Minister or the party leadership in this regard.
According to party sources, keeping up the promise, Congress-JD(S) rebels-turned BJP legislators like RR Nagar MLA Munirathna, and MLCs R Shankar and M T B Nagaraj, who helped the saffron party come to power, are most likely to be inducted by Yediyurappa.
Names of senior BJP MLAs including Umesh Katti, S Angara, and Murugesh Nirani are also doing rounds in the party circles along with Mahadevapura MLA Arvind Limbavali and MLC C P Yogeshwar as possible inductees.
Eight-time MLA from Hukkeri Katti said he had received a call from the Chief Minister asking him to come to the state capital.
"My trip to Bengaluru was already planned as there is a committee meeting tomorrow. Also, the Chief Minister last night asked me to come to Bengaluru, so I'm going. If CM and party leadership bless me, I will take the oath and work for the state," he said as he left Belagavi.
Six-time MLA Angara too said he was coming here for a committee meeting and will leave it to God about becoming Minister.
"I have never lobbied for a Minister post and will never do it. If given an opportunity will work honestly," he said.
Yediyurappa was waiting for some time to carry out the cabinet expansion after he was asked by Nadda in November to wait for the clearance from the central leadership.
The expansion or reshuffle is likely to be a tough task for the Chief Minister, considering that there are too many aspirants, from the party old guard like G H Thippareddy, M P Renukacharya, and the new entrants from Congress and JDS.
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BJD govt will expire on June 4: PM Modi in Odisha
Berhampur (Odisha) (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asserted that the expiry date of the BJD government in Odisha is June 4, the day the assembly election results will be announced.
Addressing his first election rally in the state, Modi urged people to give a chance to the BJP to make Odisha the number one state in the country.
In an apparent dig at BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the prime minister said, "Odisha needs a CM who understands Odia language and culture."
"The BJP will form a double-engine government here after elections. The expiry date of the BJD government is June 4, 2024," Modi said at the Berhampur rally.
He also claimed that Odisha has not benefitted from Ayushman Bharat Yojana as the "BJD government did not implement" it in the state.
The Centre gave Rs 10,000 crore under the 'Jal Jeevan Mission' scheme to Odisha but the BJD dispensation could not spend the money properly.
"You have given 50 years to Congress and 25 years to BJD. Just give five years to the BJP. We will make Odisha the number one state in the country," Modi said at the rally.
Odisha has fertile land, mineral resources, and sea coasts, but people are still poor, he claimed.
"We released a visionary manifesto for Odisha promising jobs for youths and women and health facilities for senior citizens. BJP fulfils what it says: Modi added.
The assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Odisha will be held simultaneously.
"I have come here to invite you to the swearing-in ceremony of BJP's CM on June 10. On the very day, we will implement the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana which the Naveen Patnaik government has been resisting. This son of Lord Jagannath will take care of all senior citizens under this scheme," Modi said.
Referring to Patnaik's alleged weak command over Odia language, Modi said: "A person, who lives, understands and takes pride in Odia culture and tradition, can help resolve the problems of Odisha at a faster pace...".
He appealed to the people to allow BJP to serve the state for once and it is Modi's guarantee that Odisha will be turned into the number one state in the next five years.
The prime minister said Odisha lags behind in every development parameter despite having huge resources like water, fertile land, rich mineral wealth, and a vast coastline.
"Who is responsible for Odisha’s backwardness? Why are the people of resources-rich Odisha still poor? The answer is rampant loot by Congress, which ruled the state for 50 years, and then the BJD for next 25 years. The BJD is sinking, while Congress is a spent force and the BJP is the only ray of hope for the people," he said.
The prime minister also said that the BJP has given the country's highest post to the daughter of Odisha. "It is my good fortune that President Droupadi Murmu Ji tells me every minute for the development of Odisha. I feel that I will be able to do a lot for the state under her guidance," he said.
Responding to Modi's claim, senior BJD leader and Naveen Patnaik's close aide VK Pandian said: "Naveen Patnaik will take oath as the chief minister of Odisha for the sixth consecutive time between 11.30 am to 1.30 pm on June 9."
