Portfolios changed '4-5 times' in BSY's Karnataka govt, Minister Madhuswamy deeply unhappy

Karnataka Minor Irrigation minister JC Madhuswamy expressed unhappiness over the constant shuffling of his portfolios and revealed that he had even thought of quitting after January 26. JC Madhuswamy, who was previously the Minister For Law, Parliamentary Affairs & Legislation, noted that the portfolios were changed 4-5 times without proper evaluation and that it would have been appropriate for the government to allow him to complete the work handed to him instead of shuffling portfolios. JC Madhuswamy was handed the Medical Education and Kannada & Culture portfolios on January 21  following which the latter portfolio was taken away from him on the next day. 

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Speaking to reporters after unfurling the Tricolour on Republic Day, JC Madhuswamy questioned how one could be happy if the portfolios were shuffled this often. The Karnataka legislator revealed that he was hurt when CM BS Yediyurappa called him before January 21 and asked him to choose any one of the portfolios following which he retained the Minor Irrigation portfolio over Law and Parliamentary Affairs. Further, JC Madhuswamy revealed that he chose Minor Irrigation as it was a portfolio directly linked to the people. Madhuswamy, a key minister who used to put up a strong defence of the government in the Assembly, complained after being given the Kannada and Culture department before he was given additionally the Haj and Wakf department.

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Karnataka cabinet trouble

In yet another reshuffle, Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa on Friday, reshuffled his cabinet, reorganising some of the portfolios allocated to the seven newly inducted ministers. After four cabinet ministers - JC Madhuswamy, MTB Nagaraja, K Sudhakar and K Gopalaiah complained of the reshuffled portfolios. Apart from JC Madhuswamy, the other three ministers recently jumped ship from Congress and JDS respectively - propping up the Yediyurappa government. The four other new inductees' portfolios include - Umesh Katti (Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs), S Angara (Fisheries, Ports and Inland Transport), Murugesh Nirani (Mines and Geology), C P Yogeshwar (Minor Irrigation department).

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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. Senior BJP ministers like Anand Singh, CC Patil, Kota Srinivas Poojari, Prabhu Chauhan, A Shivaram Hebbar too had to let go of several key ministries to the new inductees leading to discontent in the Karnataka BJP camp with BJP leader Basanagouda R Patil claiming that only those who blackmailed the CM "with a CD" were inducted. Others who expressed their grievances openly are - Mysore MLA Ramadoss, chief whip in Karnataka Assembly Sunil Kumar Karkala, Ron MLA Kalakappa Bandi and MLA from Belgaum (South) Abhay Patil. Yediyurappa formed his government on August 26 with the help of 16 rebels who switched from Congress & JDS. 

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