In the first cabinet meeting convened by Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, at least four allegedly disgruntled ministers namely K. Sudhakar, J.C. Madhuswamy, K. Gopalaiah and M.T.B. Nagaraj reportedly skipped the first cabinet meeting on Thursday after effecting minor cabinet reshuffle and allocating portfolios to seven newly inducted legislators into his team.
It came as a shock to many when Yediyuappa divested the Medical Education portfolio from Health Minister K. Sudhakar, who was elevated as the health minister with the Medical Education portfolio just 3 months ago on October 12. The decision to divest the Food & Civil Supplies portfolio from K. Gopalaiah, who is considered to have done a fairly decent job as minister, also surprised many.
In addition, rumors rife on Madhuswamy being dropped from a crucial portfolio over his alleged ‘stubborn’ approach on certain issues. A senior party leader mentioned that the Law Ministry is one of the crucial ministries after the finance portfolio, as every department’s proposals must get clearance from it.
“Generally, the CM opts his ‘yes man’ for this portfolio. Due to his temperamental issues, Madhuswamy might have attracted the ire of Yediyurappa or his close coterie. Hence, it appears that he has been divested from this important portfolio,” a source said. The source further added that cutting two high-profile ministers to size by changing their portfolios also sent a message to his rivals in the party, that te CM enjoys the full confidence of the party’s top brass.
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