Fearing revolt by the faction led by former chief minister Yeddyurappa the BJP central leadership on Monday advised Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda and State unit president K S Eshwarappa to wait at least for a week before taking any decision on Cabinet expansion.
As the party leaders eagerly await the outcome of the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC), which is probing the money transfers from mining companies to trusts owned by Yeddyurappa’s kin, they wanted Cabinet expansion exercise to be put on hold till then.
Sources told Deccan Herald that if the party took any decision on expansion of Cabinet at this juncture, it would harm the organisation as most of the legislators were loyal to Yeddyurappa.
If Yeddyurappa is indicted in the CEC report, then the party will have a valid reason for not giving him any post. In case the CEC gave a clean chit to him, then the party has to accommodate him and his supporters by giving suitable posts, sources added.
As the CEC is likely to submit its report on April 20 to the Supreme Court, till that time expansion exercise can hold, the party is learnt to have told both the leaders.
Though Gowda and Eshwarappa were raring to go for expansion at the earliest, the party central leadership wasnot so keen on that as their worry about a recent survey report on the state political situation said that the Yeddyurappa faction holds sway in the organisation and any decision going against its wishes would prove catastrophic to the party’s prospects in the next Assembly polls.
The chief minister, who is holding 20 portfolios, has been pressing the central leadership to allow him to expand the Cabinet so that he could delegate some responsibility to his colleagues.
Gowda, who was here to attend the chief ministers’ meet on internal security, told reporters after meeting party national president Nitin Gadkari that “the national president requires a few more days to consult with other leaders on Cabinet expansion. I hope they will take a positive decision soon.”
Eshwarappa, who landed in Delhi on Monday morning, met RSS deputy chief Suresh Soni.
Soni is learnt to have advised Eshwarappa to wait till the CEC submits its final report, which is crucial for taking political decisions in the State.
