Protests, heartburn follow new Cabinet of Basavaraj Bommai

Ministers who were part of the BSY cabinet, but could not make it to Bommai's Ministry have expressed their discontent

Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai with newly inducted ministers during swearing-in ceremony to form the Cabinet at Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru. Credit: PTI Photo

Heartburn and protests marked the aftermath of oath-taking ceremony of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's 29 Council of Ministers.

Supporters of Subash Guttedar were detained in Bengaluru for staging a protest demanding a Cabinet berth for the Aland MLA, while those backing Arvind Bellad and Nehru Olekar also demonstrated.

Meanwhile, legislators such as MP Kumaraswamy, Raju Gouda, Poornima Srinivas and S A Ramdas - who were ministerial aspirants - claimed that they missed out of the Cabinet at the last moment.

Raju Gouda said that former chief minister B S Yediyurappa shed tears during their meeting on Wednesday, saddened that he was not made minister. "More than the fact that I was not made minister, I am hurt that Yediyurappa had to shed tears," he said.

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Responding to queries, he said that he nurtured no ambition of becoming minister. "Because, several times in the past my name was projected by the media as a Cabinet aspirant. I have an old father who is bed-ridden for the two years, who came to Bengaluru when I became MLA (thinking I would be made minister). Since it did not turn out to be so, he asked me why I was insulting him by calling him to Bengaluru," he said.

Poornima said that she was hurt by the decision of the party. "A minister caught in corruption scandal was made a minister again. I would have happily welcomed the decision if another woman MLA of the party, who is not accused of any corruption, was made minister," she said, taking a dig at Shashikala Jolle.

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Ramdas claimed that he had received congratulatory messages for being made a minister in the Cabinet from state, national leaders and local mutts. "But, it did not feature in the final list," he said. "I was informed of being part of the Cabinet and was sent pass and security," which was withdrawn two hours later, he said.

Kumaraswamy, meanwhile, was hopeful that he would be considered for the Cabinet in the second phase. "Even though BJP has come to power three times, they haven't considered (me), which has hurt the community," he said.

Protests were staged in Haveri and Dharwad by supporters of Olekar and Bellad, respectively.