No Delhi visits! Cabinet ‘rush’ unnerves Nadda

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Following information that a dozen lawmakers are planning to rush to New Delhi to submit their credentials before national leaders in an attempt to secure berths in the Karnataka Cabinet, BJP National President J.P. Nadda has instructed the lawmakers not to come the national capital at all.

Going a step ahead, Nadda has given instruction to Union Ministers from Karnataka not to entertain the MLAs in view of the ongoing Lok Sabha session as well as Assembly polls in five states. The BJP MLAs were planning to meet Karnataka-based Union ministers like Pralhad Joshi, Rajiv Chandrashekar, Shobha Karandlaje, Bhagwanth Khuba and A.Narayanaswamy and request them to take up their case with Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National General Secretary and In-Charge of Karnataka, Arun Singh.

Nadda’s move has disappointed several MLAs who had planned to fly to Delhi and pursue their efforts to join the council of ministers. According to party sources, over a dozen MLAs including Rajugowda Nayak, Shivanagouda Nayak, Tippareddy, Poornima Srinivas, Shivaraj Patil, Appugowda, Appachu Ranjan, S.A.Ramas and N.Mahesh had decided to camp in Delhi for two or three days to meet the ministers and present their case. Despite Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai stating that the high command would consider the Cabinet rejig only after the announcement of Assembly election results of five states, the MLAs still wanted to visit the national capital with their supporters to present a show of strength. Some of them had even taken the help of seers to convey to the high command to make their community le gislators ministers failing which they would not support the BJP in the coming elections.

These pressure tactics have not gone down well with BJP bigwigs whose immediate priority is to win the Assembly polls in five states rather than the Karnataka Cabinet rejig. The CM has already made it clear that his visit to Delhi is only meant to meet union ministers in connection with various pending and new projects and seek additional funds.