Kumaraswamy slams BJP for delaying cabinet expansion, says party degrading CM

Team Udayavani, Jan 24, 2020, 9:45 AM IST

Bengaluru: Citing delay in the state cabinet expansion, JD (S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday accused the BJP leadership of degrading the post of Karnataka Chief Minister.

Kumaraswamy also claimed that the Special Protection Group did not let chief minister B S Yediyurappa inside the Raj Bhavan the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi was staying there during his Karnataka visit early this month.

“..this is the plight of the chief minister of our state.

Does he need the post of chief minister for this?… This is the situation here,” Kumaraswamy said.

BJP spokesperson G Madhusudan rejected the claims made by Kumaraswamy terming it false and baseless.

Addressing the JD(S) convention in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy said: “Is this the dignity shown to the Chief Minister? He is not even getting an interview (with party leadership).

He is being pestered on the issue of cabinet expansion,” the former chief minister said.

While the bye polls were over in early December, the 15 victorious rebels who stabilized the BSY government further is likely to get ministerial posts, but the high command has been unresponsive to CM’s proposal so far.

The CM had earlier set a deadline of January 15 to announce the names of the new ministers after consulting with the party’s central leadership but so far this has not panned out as promised by the CM.

Kumaraswamy also claimed that the Special Protection Group did not let chief minister B S Yediyurappa inside the Raj Bhavan the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi was staying there during his Karnataka visit early this month.

Hitting out at Kumaraswamy, Madhusudan said: “The claims are false and concocted.

The fact is Prime Minister Modi was instrumental in bringing Yediyurappa back to the party fold. The two leaders have devoted five decades in building the party. We deny these statements outright.”

Yediyurappa is currently at Davos for the World Economic Forum Meet.