Bengaluru: In a late night meeting in Mysuru on Saturday, Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy did some urgent fire-fighting, offering new portfolios to two ministers, G.T. Deve Gowda and C. S. Puttaraju, unhappy with their portfolios.
On Monday, HDK first cleared the move to change the portfolios at a meeting with JD(S) patriarch and his father, H D Deve Gowda. Mr G T Deve Gowda, who was unhappy with his higher education portfolio, will reportedly get Co-operation and while Mr Puttaraju will continue to be Minor Irrigation minister, he will be given additional charge of Textiles, said party sources.
In shuffling the portfolios, Mr Bandeppa Kashempur, who lost Co-operation to Mr G T Deve Gowda, will now handle Excise. Mr Kumaraswamy himself will handle Higher Education.
Soon after portfolio re-allotment, both Mr G T Deve Gowda and Mr Puttaraju made it clear they were unhappy. While Mr Deve Gowda wanted energy or PWD, Mr Puttaraju was hoping for Co-operation or transport. But when transport went to Mr D C Thammanna , making him the more powerful minister in Mandya district, which Mr Puttaraju had taken charge of during the election, he was unhappy.
At their meeting with HDK, Saturday night, Mr G.T. Deve Gowda confessed that he didn't feel qualified to handle higher education as he had not finished school.
Mr Puttaraju realising that Mr Thamanna had to be given the more important one considering he is a close relative of the JD(S) patriarch, had to be content.
