BY Vijayendra, son of former Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, missed out on a cabinet berth in the Basavraj Bommai government as the party high command decided against the move. Vijayendra was often accused of acting as "super Chief Minister''. Yediyurappa had however insisted that his son must be accommodated in the cabinet, however sources said that the BJP high command felt it would be detrimental to the image of the party which wants to move ahead of Yediyurappa's shadow.
Not just Vijayendra, Yediyurappa loyalist and outspoken Renukacharya, who waged a lone battle against Yediyurappa baiters in the party, was also anticipating that he would be rewarded with a cabinet berth. However, his detractors got an upper-hand and succeeded in denying him the berth.
Sources said that the party had offered the Deputy Chief Minister's post to Vijayendra at the time of convincing Yediyurappa to step down. However, it was rejected outright by Yediyurappa. He, in turn, made a futile attempt to anoint Vijayendra as the state party chief, which was rejected by the party. After his resignation, Yediyurappa changed his mind and placed a demand for ministership for his son. However, top leaders decided against it, sources say.
It is also learnt that the last-minute confusion in terms of announcing the list of new ministers was because of this reason. Yediyurappa, after learning about the party's decision, was upset and top leaders had to make personal calls to him to mollify him.
In Renukacharya's case, he is learnt to have asked his mentor why he was denied the berth in the cabinet. "I have been fighting for you (Yediyurappa) and ultimately it cost me the berth," Renukacharya learnt to have said. Yediyurappa on his part consoled emotional Renukarcharya stating that he had a bright future in the party.
Even as the leaders were lobbying for cabinet berths for themselves, just a week ago, the BJP lawmaker, Renukacharya, had moved the court seeking to restrain media houses from publishing or telecasting any defamatory material against him in relation to the former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi sex scandal.
