GT Deve Gowda relents, takes over as Higher Edu Min

Bengaluru: After weeks of reluctance, JD(S) strongman G.T. Deve Gowda, who trounced former chief minister Siddaramaiah in Chamundeshwari constituency in the recent assembly poll, took over as Higher Education Minister on Friday.

Mr Gowda was unhappy at being offered the portfolio as he  had his eyes set on the Energy or Water Resources Ministry for himself  and was miffed when he was denied both. He was later promised the Cooperation Ministry, but that too could not be allotted.

Going by sources, he was, however, convinced by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda that it would be difficult to change his portfolio at this juncture, as it could open a pandora’s box in the coalition government. Also, setting to rest his fears about handling higher education when he was a class 8 dropout, Mr Deve Gowda is reported to have recalled that former Tamil Nadu chief minister K. Kamaraj was an illiterate.

Giving in to the persuasion, Mr G T Deve Gowda performed pooja at his office in Vidhana Soudha on Friday and told reporters later that he would strive for qualitative improvement in higher education based on the advice of experts.

He denied reports that retired KSOU Vice-Chancellor K S Rangappa had been appointed adviser to the education department, saying  that neither he nor Mr Kumaraswamy had come up with the idea.

‘I had no other option’ 

Meanwhile, Mr G.T. Deve Gowda said he had no option but to take up the Higher Education portfolio since he had been a minister without portfolio for over two weeks.

He told Deccan Chronicle that he was sworn in as minister earlier this month but had waited till now expecting Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to allot him some other portfolio that would have helped him to serve the poor and needy. Though, the Chief Minister initially promised to change his portfolio, nothing happened as the ministers who were handling the portfolios he wanted, did not want to give them back. So, he had to accept higher education half-heartedly.

Asked about plans to make former VC Prof K.S. Rangappa who is embroiled in controversies, an 'adviser' to the higher education minister, he shot back, “Nothing of that sort is going to happen. I have the experience of handling portfolios alone in the past. I am capable of handling it independently.