Bengaluru, Aug 28: Within a day signs of rebellion emerged within BJP in Karnataka over allocation of portfolios and ignoring seniors while picking three deputy chief ministers, all the disgruntled leaders fell in following a stern warning by Amit Shah, the invincible supremo of the saffron party.
Senior BJP leaders C T Ravi, Jagadish Shettar, R Ashok, K S Eshwarappa and B Sriramulu, were apparently upset over their juniors being elevated to higher posts. While Ravi was unhappy with the portfolio, the other four were disappointed for not getting the title of Deputy CM. Two Ministers - Ravi and Ashok - had reportedly returned their official cars in protest. Many are also yet to take charge in the ministries assigned to them.
Even though Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa spent time with most of them on Tuesday in an attempt to pacify them, it is said that it was the fear of Amit Shah’s looming “disciplinary measures” that made the disappointed ministers soften up 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.
Following Amit Shah’s warning Shettar took over as Industries Minister on Tuesday morning itself. 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.
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.
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. Prior to that Sriramulu had met 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.
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