People not ‘idiots’: BJP attacks Rahul Gandhi over K’taka Cabinet expansion delay

Karnataka BJP chief BY Vijayendra criticised Rahul Gandhi over the delay in the Karnataka Cabinet expansion, accusing the Congress high command of controlling state governance. He said repeated Delhi visits by Congress leaders insult Karnataka's mandate and demanded an immediate decision on ministerial appointments

Bengaluru: Karnataka BJP State President and MLA BY Vijayendra on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the delay in the expansion of the Karnataka Cabinet, questioning whether the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha considers the people of the state to be “idiots”.

In a statement, Vijayendra alleged that Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, former CM Siddaramaiah, and KPCC President BK Hariprasad have been repeatedly travelling to New Delhi for the past two months with a list of aspirants for ministerial berths, only to be asked to return later by the Congress high command.

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He claimed that the people of Karnataka are questioning whether the state’s top leaders were elected to govern or to wait outside the doors of the Congress leadership in Delhi. “The people of Karnataka elected these leaders to administer the state, not to stand outside Rahul Gandhi’s residence,” he said, describing the situation as an insult to the state’s electorate. Vijayendra further alleged that the Congress government has become dependent on decisions taken by the party’s central leadership and accused the ruling party of undermining the dignity of constitutional offices in Karnataka.

Criticising the delay in appointing ministers, the BJP leader said several positions in the state Cabinet remained vacant even as governance was being affected. He remarked that while offices in the Vidhana Soudha await ministers, aspirants continue to wait in Delhi for approval from the Congress high command.

Taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, Vijayendra said the repeated visits by Karnataka Congress leaders to the national capital have raised questions about the autonomy of the state leadership. He also accused the Congress of reducing Karnataka’s governance to a matter of approval from New Delhi.

“The people of Karnataka voted for a government, not for a waiting room outside the Congress high command’s residence,” Vijayendra said, urging the Congress leadership to take an immediate decision on the long-pending Cabinet expansion.

It can be noted that the Karnataka Cabinet expansion has remained pending for several weeks amid intense lobbying by Congress legislators seeking ministerial positions, with senior party leaders making multiple visits to New Delhi for consultations with the party leadership.

After weeks of intense lobbying, multiple rounds of consultations and nearly two months of functioning with several vacancies in the ministry, the exercise to expand the Karnataka Cabinet is finally expected to reach its conclusion sooner, with the Congress high command set to take a final call on the remaining names.

CM Shivakumar, who assumed office on June 3, has so far led a government with a truncated Cabinet. However, with mounting pressure from legislators and growing demands for regional, caste and gender representation, discussions in New Delhi are expected to culminate in the long-awaited expansion.