'Migrant' ministers jittery over graft charges against Karnataka Excise Minister K Gopalaiah

The recent allegation of graft against Excise Minister K Gopalaiah has left the ‘migrant’ group of ministers jittery.

As two ministers from the camp were forced to resign from the Cabinet since the turn of the year, the migrants are wary of a ploy against them, in a bid to attack Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.

‘Migrant’ camp refers to 17 Congress and JD(S) MLAs who quit the previous coalition government to join BJP.

Attacks on them by the likes of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa, who blamed them for the disgruntlement against the Yediyurappa government, has also not gone down well with the camp.

May head to Delhi

According to sources, the ministers are expected to take up their grievances with the party high command and are likely to head to Delhi.

The ongoing attempts to unseat Yediyurappa was also a cause of alarm for the migrants, who fear about their future in the Cabinet in case the CM is replaced by the high command.

Less than six months after former excise minister H Nagesh was forced to resign over allegations of corruption, a similar case has rattled Gopalaiah.

Though he has denied allegations made in a viral audio clip purported to be involving Excise officials in Koppal district, in which they claim to make regular payments to the minister, the issue has unsettled the camp.

Soon after the Cabinet meeting held on Monday, a few ministers of the camp including Health and Family Welfare minister K Sudhakar, Agriculture Minister B C Patil, Urban Development minister Byrati Basavaraju and Textiles minister Shrimanth Patil huddled to discuss the developments.

A week ago, the group of ministers had held a meeting, reportedly over Eshwarappa’s remarks and complained to BJP general secretary and Karnataka
incharge Arun Singh.

A minister from the camp, on the condition of anonymity, said that the ‘native’ BJP camp was working against them.

“We took the complaint to Singh, who has asked us to come to Delhi.”

Another minister from the camp Ramesh Jarkiholi was forced to resign after a video allegedly of the minister in a compromising position with a woman was leaked to the media.

Soon after, ministers of the migrant camp approached the court, seeking an injunction against the publication of anything defamatory against them.