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Patel unfazed by dissidence, allots portfolios to new ministers

Karnataka Chief Minister J H Patel today asserted that there was no threat to his two-year-old government despite some ministers and legislators openly demanding a change in leadership.

Addressing a press conference in Bangalore, he felt that the meeting of disgruntled ministers and legislators would definitely tarnish the image of the ruling Janata Dal.

Patel claimed that some of the legislators, who had reportedly signed the memorandum seeking his replacement, had told him that they had not pressed for it. They had only expressed their dissatisfaction over the functioning of some ministers. "Ours is a democratic party and at times it is too democratic," he quipped, referring to trading of charges through the press.

A relaxed looking Patel, who went ahead with his official meetings despite parleys by the dissidents said there was no demand for convening the Janata Dal legislature party meeting to prove his majority.

Patel even went ahead and allotted portfolios to the six newly inducted ministers, even as the discontented ministers and ruling Janata Dal legislators continued with their strategy sessions.

The list of the new ministers with their portfolios is:

Cabinet rank: Basavaraj Patil Attur (higher education) and A B Patil (mines and geology).

Ministers of state: Jayawanth Subraya (excise), Nagappa Saloni (youth services and sports), H Shivappa (large and medium scale industries), M C Managuli (rural development and panchayat raj).

UNI

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