Published 22:36 IST, January 16th 2021
Amit Shah reaffirms faith in Yediyurappa govt; says 'BJP will be re-elected for 5 yrs'
Stifling all dissent against the Yediyurappa govt, ex-BJP chief Amit Shah on Saturday, assured that the current BJP government will complete its remaining term
Stifling all dissent against the Yediyurappa government, ex-BJP chief Amit Shah on Saturday, assured that the current BJP government will complete its remaining term and be re-elected. Dismissing Congress' allegations of the 'fall of BJP govt', he said that there is no point in opining against the BJP. Shah's comments come amid growing discontent with Yediyurappa's recent cabinet expansion.
Shah: "BJP govt will be re-elected"
"I keep reading Congress' many remarks on the Karnataka government, misleading the people. I wish to say that BJP government will complete its full term and then it will get re-elected for 5 years. Those who are making hurdles, I wish to say that you will get nothing from opining on BJP. Both Centre and state government are committed for Karnataka's development," he said while addressing a Police event in Benagaluru.
Lauding Karnataka's COVID-19 fight, he added, "14.9 lakh vaccines have been recieved in Karnataka and I have full confidence that phase-1 of vaccination will be completed successfully under Yeddiyurappa ji's leadership. I have no doubt in saying that under Yeddiyurappa's leadership, the fight against COVID-19 in Karnataka has been fought well. I wish to congratulate Karnataka police for a great imposition of lockdown."
Karnataka cabinet trouble
After waiting for a year, Karnataka CM Yediyurappa inducted even legislators namely - MTB Nagaraj, R Shankar, CP Yogeshwar, Umesh Katti, Arvind Limbavali, Murugesh Nirani, S Angara into his cabinet on January 13. With the inclusion of several Congress and JDS rebels who jumped ship to BJP, resulting in the fall of the previous Kumaraswamy government, in the cabinet, several BJP loyalists are said to be disgruntled. Reports state that Shah is set to meet the disgruntled MLAs and listen to their grievances before attending the BJP core committee meeting in Bengaluru.
Senior BJP leader Basanagouda R Patil alleged that only those who blackmailed the CM "with a CD" were given cabinet berths. Many other leaders including Mysore MLA Ramadoss, chief whip in Karnataka Assembly Sunil Kumar Karkala, Ron MLA Kalakappa Bandi, and MLA from Belgaum (South) Abhay Patil openly expressed their grievances against the cabinet rejig - leading to the CM saying that a BJP core committee is working on the distribution of portfolios again and a decision will also be made on who should be included in the cabinet. Shah is set to meet the CM and chair a core committee meeting to discuss candidates and strategies for Bengaluru polls and allocation of portfolios. Yediyurappa formed his government on August 26 with the help of 16 rebels who switched from Congress & JDS.
Updated 22:36 IST, January 16th 2021