Chief minister picks Sudhakar over Sriramulu to handle COVID-19

Sriramulu

Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar is now officially in charge of all matters related to Covid-19 as Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday decided to end confusion by relieving Health Minister B Sriramulu from managing the ongoing crisis.

Sriramulu will continue as the health minister, however.

On Tuesday, based on Yediyurappa’s advice, Governor Vajubhai R Vala notified that Sudhakar would handle all matters relating to Covid-19.

Sudhakar and Sriramulu were seen crossing each other’s path as part of the government’s Covid-19 response, which reportedly led to some bitterness between
the two.

Technically, the Covid-19 issue comes under the Health and Family Welfare portfolio that Sriramulu holds. The Medical Education Department, on the other hand, handles teaching hospitals; this created grey areas and both ministers were briefing the press on Covid-19.

The chief minister, however, came to be convinced that Sudhakar may be more adept at handling the Covid-19 crisis given that he is a doctor. “Of late, the chief minister began relying on Sudhakar for inputs before briefing the Centre on the Covid-19 situation,” a source said.

That the lines had blurred between Sriramulu and Sudhakar became so visible that even the Opposition Congress began taking a dig at this. Sudhakar had to clarify in the Assembly that he was involved because he was a doctor.

In an interview to DH recently, Sudhakar had said he and Sriramulu were like Rama and Lakshmana (brothers).