Reddy Camp Keeps off Yeddy Cabinet, as session Date Fixed to July 9
by Gabriel Vaz
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

BANGALORE, JUNE 11:  Even as Karnataka’s ruling BJP establishment is trying its best to gloss over the deep fissures within its ranks and claim that there was no need for national leader Arun Jaitely to visit the state on a peace mission, beleaguered chief minister B S Yeddyurappa’s troubles continue to remain unabated.

For the second time in less than a fortnight, half a dozen ministers including the troika of Bellary mining lords – G Janardhana Reddy, G Karunakar Reddy and B Sriramulu – abstained from attending the state cabinet meeting on Thursday. The other absentees included stauch supporters of the Bellary mining lords like Anand Asnotikar,
Balachandra Jarkiholi and Shivanagouda who have been waging a silent dissident war against the chief minister. Another senior minister K S Eshwarappa, who came out openly against Yeddyurappa and subsequently toned down his vitriolic attacks, however, chose to attend the meeting.

Incidentally, the Bellary mining lords and their supporting ministers as well as Eshwarappa were conspicuous by their absence along with Eshwarappa during the first-year anniversary bash organized by Yeddyurappa on May 31 under the ``Vijay Sankalp Utsav’’ banner in Bangalore.

However, the chief minister and the ministers loyal to him not  only took part in the cabinet meeting but went to extent of presenting a picture of utmost confidence and business-as-usual attitude by fixing the date for summoning the monsoon session of the state legislature from July 9 to 24. Though the duration of the legislature session has been tentatively fixed as 15 days, chances of extending the session by a few more days or perhaps till the month-end or even abrupt curtailment ahead of the closing date cannot be ruled out.

The Reddy brothers, who have chosen to boycott the cabinet meeting until their grievances against the chief minister were effectively addressed by the party high command, are understood to have left for Hyderabad to visit the Tirupathi temple. The other three ministers, who have opted to express their solidarity with their mentors, are believed to be firm on their demand to axe some of the ministers and shunt some senior officials from the chief minister’s establishment.

Meanwhile, Jaitely, who had played key role as a strategist for BJP at the national level and also in the state during the lok sabha polls, arrived in Bangalore for holding consultations with senior leaders of the party in the state in a bid to diffuse the crisis in the ruling party.

Despite the brave face sought to be presented by Yeddyurappa and his staunch loyalists, the ruling establishment has been clearly put on the defensive as is evident from the fact that the responsibility of briefing the media after the cabinet meeting was thrust on home minister Dr V S Acharya instead of the normal practice of entrusting the ``honour’’ to rural development and panchayat raj minister Shobha Karandlaje.

It may be recalled that Karandlaje, who is known  to be quite close  to the chief minister, had been entrusted with the responsibility of briefing the media after the cabinet meetings right from the beginning even though the excise and IT minister Katta Subramanya Naidu, who is the designated information minister.

Dr Acharya said as many as 18 legislative bills and the full budget will be discussed along with supplementary demands.