Bengaluru: It has been a week since BS Yediyurappa took oath as the chief minister of Karnataka for the fourth time. Even now, the state has no Cabinet and Yediyurappa is the only minister in his council of ministers. Meanwhile, both the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) have lashed out at the BJP for still not being able to form a cabinet.
Even though there is no clarity regarding the appointment of ministers, BJP insiders claim it will take several more days. Too many aspirants, representation demands from various castes and regions, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) nominees, and the unsolved question of 17 disqualified rebel MLAs are said to be the reasons for the delay.
After taking oath as chief minister, Yediyurappa was planning to fly to New Delhi to finalise the list of ministers with the party high command – Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah. However, he had to delay the meeting due to their unavailability during the ongoing Parliament session.
A close associate of Yediyurappa said, “He wanted to have a Cabinet immediately. It seems that the high command has applied the brakes. There are many factions and he has to accommodate them all. The issue regarding the disqualified MLAs has to be addressed first. Yediyurappa is a man of his word and he does not want to ditch them, which is why the Cabinet formation is taking time.”
A few days ago, a delegation of several Lingayat leaders had met Yediyurappa, demanding that at least four cabinet berths be allocated to a particular sub-caste. Yediyurappa reportedly lost his cool and firmly told them he had to accommodate several disqualified MLAs who had sacrificed their positions for him, revealed a family member.
Since the disqualified MLAs have challenged the decision of the speaker in Supreme Court, Yediyurappa cannot accommodate them unless the apex court gives a stay and restores their position.
According to party sources, various senior MLAs may not find a place in the Cabinet as they will be appointed for party work. Expectedly, many are resisting this decision, delaying the takeoff of the BSY government.
Meanwhile, the opposition Congress and the JDS have attacked the BJP for not forming the Cabinet even a week after coming to power. “There is no government in Karnataka. There are no ministers and governance has come to a standstill. The state is facing a severe drought and the government is only interested in power, not the welfare of the people,” the opposition said in a statement.
Since the Assembly elections in May last year, the administration had come to a standstill due to prolonged political instability during the JDS-Congress regime. Political analysts feel that the instability is likely to continue even under Yediyurappa.
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