From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Jun 13: With Karnataka Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda and State BJP President K S Eshwarappa dropping broad hints regarding cabinet expansion soon, a group of the ruling BJP legislators, who are aspiring to become Ministers, have decided to go to Delhi on June 21 to meet the Central party leaders to press for their case.
The ruling BJP MLAs, who held a meeting under the leadership of State BJP general secretary C T Ravi, have decided to exert pressure on the party high command to ask the Chief Minister to take immediate steps to expand the cabinet.
C T Ravi and Appachu Ranjan, who spoke to reporters in Bangalore on Wednesday, said the party’s ministerial aspirants would meet party president Nitin Gadkari and other central leaders and urge them to direct the Chief Minister to fill vacancies in the Cabinet for effective functioning of the administration.
Eleven of the total 34 ministerial berths have been lying vacant for several months now and it is high time that the vacancies should be filled up as there was hardly a year to go for assembly elections, they said.
Several legislators would lose the opportunity to become ministers if the Chief Minister continued to postpone the Cabinet expansion, they said.
''There is need to infuse fresh blood and new vigour into the ministry. It is also necessary to tone up the administration and gear up for the assembly elections,” they argued.
The MLAs claimed that they have been loyal to the party and it was their genuine desire to become ministers in the Government.
''How long can we wait to get a cabinet berths?,” they asked said the party high command must take immediate steps to ensure that the Sadananda Gowda ministry was fully reconstituted and make it more cohesive and purposeful.
A few days ago, a group of MLAs led by Ravi conducted a signature campaign to press the party high command to expand the Cabinet.
They expressed displeasure with the party for ignoring long-time loyalists and rewarding those who defected from other parties.
The legislators demanded action against 12 party MLAs who involved in cross voting in elections to the legislative council from the legislative assembly.
With the defeat of its official candidate and former MP, Iqbal Ahmed Saradagi, the Congress party has also taken serious note of the cross voting and has ordered a probe, they said.
''If the opposition Congress party can initiate steps to identify the culprits who indulged in cross-voting and thereby defied party discipline, why can’t the BJP take similar steps? Those who indulged in cross-voting and caused embarrassment to the party must be punished,” Ravi said.