Bengaluru, Aug 26: In a desperate bid to quell disgruntles and pacify power-hungry MLAs of BJP, Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa is likely to create three deputy CM posts.
The list of probables for three deputy chief minister posts appears to have added fuel to the fire of rebellion raging within BJP following the Yediyurappa cabinet formation. Senior leaders who felt slighted at being left out of the council said it was “baffling” that inexperienced colleagues were being considered for the post.
The reference was to Lingayat leader from Belagavi, Laxman Savadi, and young Vokkaliga leader CN Ashwathnarayana from Bengaluru. Dalit leader Govind M Karjol, also in contention, appears to have been given a leeway due to his seniority.
“The process of allocating portfolios will be finalized on Monday. We will have a deputy CM — how many deputy CM posts (we will have) will be known by Monday....” the CM said. Admitting the discontent over Savadi’s inclusion, Yediyurappa said it was the party high command’s call.
With Yediyurappa confirming there would be “one to three” DyCMs serving under him, the likelihood of the central BJP brass handing two of them to relatively ‘inexperienced’ ministers has caused widespread resentment among party seniors.
The furore over the deputy chief minister posts comes at a time when disgruntled seniors left out of the cabinet are already raising a banner of revolt. Also there has been considerable lag in allocating portfolios among the 17 who were sworn in as ministers and suspense is building over the exercise.
Yediyurappa was expected to allocate portfolios by Sunday, but put off an announcement on account of former Union minister Arun Jaitley’s demise. All senior leaders of the party attended the last rites on Sunday evening.
Senior Dalit leader Govind M Karjol, Vokkaliga leader CN Ashwathnarayan, who represents Malleswaram, Bengaluru, and Lingayat leader from Belagavi Laxman Savadi are tipped for the DyCM posts. While the BJP rank and file appears to have, by and large, accepted Karjol’s choice given his seniority, the heartburn is over the selection of the other two.
“The reports, if they are true, are baffling. Ashwathnarayan was never a minister and Laxman Savadi has not even won his seat. How can the party leadership consider them for such a top post?” said a senior leader from Bengaluru. “Is it their objective to humiliate seniors who have been loyal to the party?”
Seniors including KS Eshwarappa and R Ashoka, both of whom have served as DyCM in the past, and former chief minister Jagadish Shettar are feeling ignored.
The kidnapped schoolboy was rescued by the police and reunited with his parents. Son of a gift shop owner from Basavanagudi area in Bengaluru, Chirag has reportedly told police that decided to make some quick money to spend on cricket betting and gambling after learning kidnap tricks from the ‘Crime Patrol’. According to police, Chirag reached a private school around 3pm on Tuesday on a Bounce rental bike and zeroed in on a fourth standard student who was walking out of school. He told the boy he was his father's friend and that he required help to search for a relative who had gone missing. The boy believed Chirag and rode pillion on the bike. Chirag then engaged the boy in conversation and learnt about his father's business and got his mobile phone number. He then made a call to the boy's father, demanded Rs 5 lakh and warned him against approaching cops. However, the boy's father alerted Cottonpet police and special teams were formed to crack the case. While Cottonpet inspector Venkatesh TC's squad verified CCTV footage in and around the school, Chamarajpet inspector BG Kumaraswamy's team started tracking the suspect's mobile phone movements. An hour later, the suspect's location was traced to a hotel on the Lavelle Road-St Mark's Road stretch. Police rushed there, rescued the boy and arrested Chirag.
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