Bengaluru, Jan 19 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa’s Political Secretary and MLA M.P. Renukacharya has said that a few ruling BJP legislators who had missed the ministerial berths in the recent state cabinet expansion would meet here on Tuesday to chalk out their strategy, including meeting senior party leaders in New Delhi.
Spearheading the campaign to convey the discomfort among the MLAs to the party high command, the Honnali MLA on Monday said the meeting will be within the democratic framework of right to expression in the party.
“Some of us (MLAs) are coming to Bengaluru on Tuesday and we will discuss and then we will decide. We have not fixed any date but we will discuss with our legislators regarding our Delhi visit,” he told reporters here.
He also clarified that this meeting can never be against Yediyurappa’s leadership or questioning him, but to express and share their own feelings among themselves and plan next course of action of meeting leaders in the national capital.
“We are not against the party, organisation or leadership. We are only conveying our pain and sentiments to our seniors in the party and we have the liberty to express our sentiments,” he said.
Yediyurappa had expanded his 17-month-old cabinet on January 13 with the induction of seven new ministers after long-awaited exercise resulted in resentment with some MLAs, including Renukacharya, airing reservations over them being not considered and lack of representation to several districts.
They claimed only a few communities, primarily Vokkaligas and Lingayats, and two major districts – Bengaluru and Belagavi – got more representation in the cabinet.
In October 2010, Renukacharya was the part of rebel group comrising 17 legislators led by the BJP legislator Balachandra Jarakiholi, but at the last minute, Renukacharya abandoned rebels and rejoined Yediyurappa camp but 16 legislators including 11 BJP legislators and five independents attract disqualification from Speaker, K.G. Bopaiah but a year later, Supreme Court reinstates all 16 of them.
–IANS
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