CM huddles with BJP MLAs, promises grants

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Saturday held a daylong meeting with BJP legislators from 10 districts, giving them a patient hearing on what their constituencies need, in what was seen as a move to nix any disgruntlement that possibly exists.

Yediyurappa had invited BJP legislators representing constituencies located in Belagavi, Bagalkot, Vijayapura, Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Chamarajnagar, Chikmagaluru, Hassan and Mysuru districts.

“There is no disgruntlement,” Yediyurappa told reporters, when it was pointed out that Umesh Katti (Hukkeri) and S A Ramdas (Krishnaraja), who were sulking for not being made ministers, did not attend. “Katti visited my house in the morning to convey his inability to attend the meeting due to some sugar factory programme. Ramdas said he was busy with Dasara preparation,” he said.

Yediyurappa said only BJP MLAs had been invited and legislators of the Congress and the JD(S) will be invited to another round of meetings.

Yediyurappa is said to have assured each BJP MLA a Rs 25 crore-grant towards constituency works, and told them that road development, irrigation and lake-filling projects will be expedited.

The chief minister is also understood to have ordered releasing anywhere between Rs 15 crore to Rs 25 crore for 17 constituencies where the ‘rebel’ legislators have been disqualified.