Six months after BS Yediyurappa took oath as Chief Minister of Karnataka for the fourth time, the security cover for 27 former ministers of the HD Kumaraswamy-led Congress-JD(S) coalition government was withdrawn on Thursday.
The order issued on January 25 said other than ex-Deputy CM G Parameshwara, and former ministers HD Revanna, DK Shivakumar, KJ George and MB Patil, all former ministers will lose their security cover. Even senior MLAs who were ministers like RV Deshpande and Bandeppa Kashempur have lost their security cover.
Last time when Yediyurappa had become CM only for two days in 2018, post the fractured mandate in the Assembly elections, he had withdrawn state security for the Congress MLAs stationed in the Eagleton resort just hours after taking oath.
Recently the Union government had withdrawn central security for high profile political leaders including Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and DMK president MK Stalin in a controversial decision.
Meanwhile, CM Yeddyurappa is on his way to the national capital to meet BJP working president JP Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah to finalise the decision on the much-delayed Cabinet expansion in the state. Speaking on the same on Wednesday, the CM said, “I will go to New Delhi tomorrow (Thursday) and meet with the national leaders and discuss the issue of Cabinet expansion.”
Yediyurappa had earlier set a deadline of January 15 to speak with the high command and announce the names of the new ministers, and yet he seems unable to form a decision without offending crucial figures within the BJP. The CM has to balance the promise of ministerial berths, made to former Congress and JD(S) MLAs who won byepolls and cemented his position as CM, and also meet demands of long term BJP loyalists. For this process, one or two sitting senior ministers are also likely to lose their portfolios, according to sources.