This Article is From Aug 12, 2021

"Always Had Faith...": Has Karnataka Chief Minister Sorted Portfolio Row?

Tourism and Environment Minister Anand Singh, among those to openly express his unhappiness, met Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai last night

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Karnataka News Written by
Bengaluru:

Has the threat of disruption in Karnataka Chief Minister Basavarj Bommai's cabinet blown over?

Ministers who expressed public displeasure at assigned portfolios seem to have been mollified after meetings with Mr Bommai, who is facing possibly his first major political challenge since being sworn in as BS Yediyurappa's replacement late last month.

Tourism and Environment Minister Anand Singh, among those to openly express his unhappiness and who, yesterday removed a signboard from outside his office, met Mr Bommai last night.

After the meeting the Chief Minister said: "Anand Singh and I have always had faith in each other. Earlier.. today and always", and said he had asked Mr Singh to unfurl the national flag in Vijayanagara district on Independence Day this Sunday. He agreed to do so, Mr Bommai said.

Yesterday Mr Singh had said: "Today I have lost the hope and expectation that I had for my protection... but I have not lost my confidence. I have made my request to each person I needed to... but not in public. Within four walls I have expressed my feelings and difficulties."

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Anand Singh was one of the Congress MLAs who jumped to the BJP in 2019 - a switch that triggered the collapse of the then ruling Congress-JDS coalition.

Earlier, the Chief Minister had said issues with another unhappy minister, MTB Nagaraj, who has been put in charge of municipal administration and sugarcane, had also been sorted out.

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Mr Nagaraj told the media: "I have told our Chief Minister about it. He has said 'go on with the work now. Let us see what can be done in the coming days.' I am putting my faith in him."

Chief Minister Bommai took over a little over two weeks ago and oversaw an expansion of his cabinet last week. Portfolios were allotted over the weekend - with most senior ministers retaining the portfolios they had under his predecessor, Mr Yediyurappa.

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Days after the August 4 cabinet reshuffle the Chief Minister had addressed early reports of some ministers' dissatisfaction saying: "Everyone can't get the portfolios they want."

The collapse of the Congress-JDS coalition in 2019 brought BS Yediyurappa to power - and he promised the MLAs who jumped ship their due rewards. The task of making that happen, it seems, has been left to Mr Bommai.

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