JOIN USDecision to drop Ramesh will blow up in Cong face: BSY
Predicting the possibility of dissent in the Congress soon after the cabinet expansion, BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa said that the axing of Municipal Administration Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi from the H D Kumaraswamy cabinet, would have a major bearing on the coalition government.
Yeddyurappa, who is still hopeful of taking advantage of the brewing discontent in the Congress, said that the BJP continues to keenly watch the developments in both the Congress and the JD(S) camps.
The Lingayat strongman, who has been desperately trying to muster numbers his party needs to form the government in the state, has been in hot pursuit of the Jarkiholi brothers ever since he stepped down as chief minister for the third time in May.
With the Congress dropping Ramesh from the cabinet, to make way for his brother Satish, Yeddyurappa now hopes that the Gokak MLA will defect to his party along with a few other disgruntled MLAs.
"The dissidence threat looms large as there are way too many aspirants vying for the cabinet berth. The Congress is a divided house, which is why it has been putting off the cabinet expansion for the last three months. Ramesh Jarkiholi's sacking from the cabinet will make a major impact. There will be a lot of developments by this evening. The BJP has won 104 seats. We will wait and watch what will happen in the JD(S) and the Congress camps. The BJP legislature party meeting will be convened after that. I will decide the future course of action only after holding talks with the high command," he said, while speaking to reporters in Hubballi.
Hours before the swearing-in ceremony of the eight new ministers, Yeddyurappa also expressed doubts over the swearing-in ceremony materialising. "It unlikely that the swearing-in ceremony might take place today. I was given to understand that the Governor is not in Bengaluru," he said.
While Satish has said that his brother will not quit the party, Ramesh was not available for comment.
He was recently seen breaking bread with BJP leaders in Belagavi, which had not gone down well with the Congress.
Ramesh, who was involved in a turf war with Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar, had tested the patience of his party leadership by not attending cabinet meetings or participating in any of the party activities.
He had also absented himself from the winter session, citing ill health.