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Congress govt grants Cabinet status to BJP leader; withdraws later
In a major loss of face for the Karnataka Congress government, it granted Cabinet rank to a BJP leader only to withdraw it later. BJP leader from Shivamogga district, BD Bhookanth, considered an aide of BJP Parliamentary Board member B S Yediyurappa and his son, state BJP president BY Vijayendra, was among the 54 appointees […]
The appointments were made to assuage the aspirations of Congress leaders from various parts of the state.
In a major loss of face for the Karnataka Congress government, it granted Cabinet rank to a BJP leader only to withdraw it later.
BJP leader from Shivamogga district, BD Bhookanth, considered an aide of BJP Parliamentary Board member B S Yediyurappa and his son, state BJP president BY Vijayendra, was among the 54 appointees to various boards and corporations granted Cabinet status through a government order on February 7.
The appointments were made to assuage the aspirations of Congress leaders from various parts of the state. However, the presence of BD Bhookanth’s name attracted opposition, especially at Shivamogga district where he hails from.
Congress workers from the district are learnt to have communicated to the state Congress leadership about the blunder in Bhookanth’s appointment. They noted that his wife was a Shivamogga zilla panchayat leader from BJP and urged the state Congress leadership to reconsider the decision.
Following the issue, the Chief Minister’s Office Wednesday released copies of an amendment to the February 7 order, clarifying that the Cabinet rank accorded to Bhookanth was withdrawn.
The Opposition BJP had criticised the decision, saying Cabinet status was granted even to those Congress workers who were not elected to public office. Granting Cabinet rank to these people would cost Rs 50 per month, BJP MLC N Ravikumar had said Tuesday.
The Congress had defended the decision, with KPCC president and DyCM DK Shivakumar saying that the party got to power due to party workers. “Now, they will get power,” he said.
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