Upon replacing Shobha Karandlaje, Jagadish Shettar takes over ministerial room and removes CM's picture
Upon replacing Shobha Karandlaje, Jagadish Shettar takes over ministerial room and removes CM's pictureJagadish Shettar, who a few days ago replaced Shobha Karandlaje as rural development minister, has now also thrown out Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa's photograph from the ministerial chamber.
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| BEFORE: Yeddy on the wall when Karandlaje was minister |
Karandlaje who is close to Yeddyurappa but lost her portfolio as a result of the compromise deal that ended the recent rebellion in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against the chief minister had moved into Room No. 316 last year after taking over as minister and installed Yeddyurappa's photo on the wall, towards the right side of her seat.
First ministerial act
The first thing Shettar reportedly did after moving into the chamber was remove the CM's photo from the wall.
Shettar had allied with the rebel camp in the BJP during the rebellion led by ministers Janardhana and Karunakara Reddy, the Bellary mining baron brothers, and he was among the members of the Legislative Assembly who were pressing for Karandlaje's removal from the cabinet.
He was even projected as the alternative chief minister by the Reddy camp.
Insult added to injury
Troubled by the role played by a fellow Lingayat leader during the days of turmoil, Yeddyurappa had gone to the extent of calling Shettar the chief cause of the crisis, which was in part sparked by Karandlaje's alleged interference in other departments.
A source close source to Karandlaje said Shettar's removal of Yeddyurappa's photo had added insult to injury for Karandlaje. "Showing his animosity in this manner is in bad taste," she is understood have said. "After all, the chief minister is our leader and the act (of removing the photo) amounts to showing disrespect."
It wasn't me
But Shettar begs to differ on two points, one of which is that one need not make a show of one's feelings for seniors. "Putting up a photo is not the only way of showing respect to any leader. It is merely an outward formality and we should not attach any importance to it," he said.
The second point is that there was no photo of the CM on the wall in the first place.
But attendants in the chamber said the photo was very much there just before Shettar moved in.
CM's done it too
Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa had kicked up a photo controversy of his own in a previous government.
He had removed a photo of Dr B R Ambedkar, architect of the Constitution and revered Dalit leader, from his chamber upon taking over as the deputy chief minister in the H D Kumaraswamy cabinet during the days of the troubled coalition government with the JD (S) in 2005.
After widespread protests led by Dalit organisations, he had had to place the photo back.
Picture normsNorms set by the department of personnel and administrative reforms state that photographs of Mahatma Gandhi, B R Ambedkar, the president and the prime minister may be put up in government offices all over the country.
