As Floods Wreak Havoc in Karnataka, CM Yediyurappa’s One-Man Show Wades Into Troubled Waters

Bengaluru: Half of Karnataka is facing the worst ever flood situation and the 76-year-old chief minister, BS Yediyurappa, is crisscrossing the affected areas all alone. He is also busy calling up officials in other parts of the state. It is a one-man show.

That’s because even after 15 days of coming to power, there is no Cabinet and Yediyurappa is the only one in his council of ministers.

Yediyurappa was in New Delhi to finalise the Cabinet formation when he received the news of unprecedented rain and flood in Mumbai-Karnataka, Malnad and Coastal Karnataka regions. He rushed back home immediately without taking any decision on the Cabinet.

According to his close aides, the BJP high command in New Delhi is not happy with his choice of ministers and they are taking time to finalise the list.

The seat of power in Bengaluru, Vidhana Soudha, looks like ghost building with no minister there to run the state administration. Since there are no ministers, Yediyurappa has sent senior IAS officers to 12 rain and flood-hit districts to oversee the rescue and relief operations.

According to one of the officers, Yediyurappa is in constant touch with them over phone. “Since we have to approach the chief minister for everything, the decisions are delayed. Sometimes it leads to more troubles. He is 76 and working non-stop,” said an officer.

The opposition Congress and JDS have flayed Yediyurappa for not appointing the ministers even after two weeks. Former chief minister and leader of opposition, Siddaramaiah, has launched an attack on the CM and BJP high command, calling them power hungry and insensitive.

Speaking to News18, he said, “Yediyurappa and BJP high command did every illegal and unconstitutional thing to topple our coalition government and come to power. After coming to power, they have forgotten the people. Karnataka is facing unprecedented floods and there is no one to listen to the people. We have a Parliamentary democracy, not a one-man rule. BJP is unfit to rule in a democracy”.

Former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy of the JDS has also slammed Yediyurappa for not appointing a Cabinet.

Many BJP leaders and workers are also feeling that there decision on the Cabinet should be made at the earliest. According to some insiders, the question of 17 rebel MLAs and the fear of a “reverse operation” by the Congress and JDS is also one of the main reasons for the inordinate delay.