Now, Education Minister to be Karnataka's coronavirus spokesman

Yediyurappa was forced to appoint Kumar as the government’s spokesman because of lack of coordination

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday asked Primary & Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar to be the government’s spokesperson on the COVID-19 crisis management effort, a move that is seen as keeping too many cooks from spoiling the broth.

At a high-level meeting to review measures on COVID-19 containment, Yediyurappa is said to have taken exception to his Cabinet colleagues making multiple, and often contradictory statements, leading to confusion.

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“The CM has directed Suresh Kumar to be the only one to brief the media on COVID-19 going forward,” a source from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) confirmed. Accordingly, Kumar will brief the media on Friday evening.

Kumar, who represents Rajajinagar in Bengaluru, was the one who briefed the press on Cabinet decisions for the most part when the BJP was in power earlier (2008-13).

Yediyurappa was forced to appoint Kumar as the government’s spokesman because lack of coordination had become evident in disbursing information related to COVID-19.

Initially, it was apparent that Health & Family Welfare Minister B Sriramulu and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar had issues with coordination - both used to brief the press, dishing out contradictory numbers. The CM had to intervene by making Sudhakar responsible for COVID-19 affairs in Bengaluru, while Sriramulu would look at the rest of Karnataka.

The latest example of ministers being out of sync is the Tablighi Jamaat convention - Sriramulu’s numbers would be different from Sudhakar’s, with Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai citing fresh figures altogether.

The CM is also said to have asked ministers to refrain from appearing on news channels for panel discussions on COVID-19.

In other decisions, the CM asked officials to place orders for 2 lakh personal protective equipment (PPE) in addition to 1 lakh PPEs already ordered. It was also decided that 15 lakh construction labourers will get Rs 2,000, as against Rs 1,000 approved earlier.