Though many senior leaders in the BJP were said to be upset over their juniors being made Deputy Chief Ministers, most appeared to have fallen in line on Tuesday.
R. Ashok, K.S. Eshwarappa, B. Sriramulu, Jagadish Shettar — who were all aspirants for the title of Deputy CM — and C.T. Ravi are said to be unhappy with the portfolios they have been allocated. Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa spent time with most of them on Tuesday in an attempt to pacify them. Many of them appeared to have softened up by later in the day, with little choice left.
“It is the party’s Central leadership that has decided on the portfolios and Deputy CMs, and they are in no mood to change the decisions. The [State] leaders have no option but to take what they have got, perform and grow in the party, and move on — something they have also realised now,” a senior party strategist said.
Bengaluru / Karnataka : BJP leader R Ashok on 13 March 2019. Photo: V Sreenivasa Murthy/ The Hindu
Two Ministers — Mr. Ravi, unhappy over being allotted the Tourism Department, and Mr. Ashok, upset over not being made a Deputy Chief Minister — had reportedly returned their official cars in protest. Many are also yet to take charge in the ministries assigned to them.
However, Mr. Shettar took over as Industries Minister on Tuesday morning itself. Mr. Ashok, who has been assigned the Revenue Department, though yet to officially take charge, participated in a marathon meeting on flood damage in his ministerial capacity with the Chief Minister in the evening. Sources in the party said he was more upset that C.N. Ashwath Narayan, a junior to him in the city and also from the Vokkaliga community, had been made Deputy CM. In fact, sources said Mr. Ashok is now lobbying to be made District in-charge Minister of Bengaluru, in a bid to retain his hold over the city.
Mr. Ravi, who had reportedly offered to resign, tweeted that loyalty to the party was his biggest strength and weakness, and that he would never ditch it. Earlier in the day, he accompanied the Chief Minister during his inspection of flood-hit areas in Mudigere.
Bengaluru / Karnataka : BJP mla Sriramulu addressing Media Persons at Vidhana Soudha before Staate Budget on 08 February 2018. Photo: V Sreenivasa Murthy/ The Hindu
Another disgruntled Minister, B Sriramulu, whose supporters held protests over his not being made a Deputy Chief Minister, tweeted distancing himself from sporadic protests. “I condemn the protests against my party and I appeal to my supporters not to hold them. The party comes first for all BJP workers and I stand by all the decisions of my party,” he tweeted. According to sources, earlier in the day, he met Mr. Yediyurappa at his residence and expressed his dissatisfaction over not being made a Deputy CM, especially as he had been promised the title during the 2018 Assembly election campaign. He is learnt to have sought charge of an additional portfolio, preferably Social Welfare, along with his current one of Health and Family Welfare. Mr. Yediyurappa did not make any commitment to this, sources said.
