At a time when there is speculation that a few Ministers may be dropped to make way for new faces, Revenue Minister V. Srinivas Prasad on Tuesday hit out at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah by stating that, “I did not become a Minister because of the blessings of Mr. Siddaramaiah. I am part of the Cabinet because of my own merit.”
His reaction came at a time when Mr. Siddaramaiah has been trying to garner support from his Cabinet colleagues and legislators to wriggle out of the ‘watch issue’. There is also speculation over an imminent Cabinet reshuffle after the budget session and pressure is mounting on the Chief Minister to drop a few ‘non-performing’ Ministers.
Mr. Siddaramaiah, who recently met the Congress top brass in Delhi, is learnt to have got a nod for the reshuffle. Reacting to a query by media persons on Mr. Siddaramaiah’s plans to drop a few Ministers, Mr. Prasad said the Cabinet has got the needed stature because of his presence. Noting that he was senior to Mr. Siddaramaiah in politics and had already served as a member of the Union Cabinet headed by the then Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee, Mr. Prasad indirectly cautioned Mr. Siddaramaiah of repercussions of any plans to drop him from the Cabinet.
