All lobbying by the Reddy brothers of Bellary for earning a berth in the ministry is certain to remain a futile exercise if chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda has his way.
All lobbying by the Reddy brothers of Bellary for earning a berth in the ministry is certain to remain a futile exercise if chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda has his way.
Participating in a ‘Meet the Press’ programme organised by Bangalore Reporters’ Guild and Press Club of Bangalore on Wednesday, Gowda ruled out the possibility of inducting any tainted former ministers into his cabinet.
Thus the chief minister sent a clear message that Janardhana Reddy and Karunakara Reddy, who have been indicted by the Lokayukta in illegal mining, have no chance of entering the ministry.
However, Gowda defended his decision to induct V Somanna into the ministry by stating that Somanna was not indicted in the report. The report has a mention about Somanna’s son and not Somanna himself. Somanna was inducted in the ministry only after consulting the law department, he said.
But the Reddys could breathe easy. The chief minister stated that he would not take any hasty decision.
“A committee headed by additional chief secretary
K Jairaj has been constituted to study the report. Appropriate action will be taken after it submits its report. Over 700 officials have been indicted in the report. We will consider all aspects of the report before acting on it,” the chief minister said.
Toning up admn
Gowda reiterated that speeding up development works would be his main agenda and he would follow a five-point programme to tone up the state’s administrative machinery: No general transfer of staff till next April, priority for implementation of welfare programmes like Aasare housing scheme, non-interference in day-to-day functioning of ministers, fixing accountability on district in-charge ministers for development of their respective districts and no new programmes to be announced as the priority would be for effective implementation of already announced programmes, the chief minister explained.
Replying to a question, Gowda rubbished the view that he was a puppet of former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa.
“I will not be a puppet of any one. I will work as a puppet of the six crore people of Karnataka. I will prove who I am through my work,” he asserted.
However he added that he would seek the advice and suggestions from Yeddyurappa, “but I will take my own independent decisions without bowing to pressure from anyone,” Gowda said.
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