Ayyo swamy! There goes a promise

Updated on: 17 June,2009 09:32 AM IST |
B V Shiva Shankar |

Women and child development minister, who had promised to visit Balamandir, faces the axe as Yeddyurappa gets ready to reshuffle cabinet tomorrow

Women and child development minister, who had promised to visit Balamandir, faces the axe as Yeddyurappa gets ready to reshuffle cabinet tomorrow

Minister P M Narendra Swamy may not be able to keep his promise of visiting Balamandir, a government home for destitute children, as he is on the chief minister's hitlist.

According to sources, chief minister B S Yeddyurappa may remove the minister for women and child development when he rejigs the cabinet tomorrow (Thursday) to make way for ex-Congressman V Somanna.

Old unfaithful

Swamy dismissed news of his ouster as rumour. "It's all the handiwork of mischievous elements in the JD(S). I am not going out," he said.

Sources, however, said, "Swamy earned the wrath of the party for his open support to the Congress in the parliamentary polls and this could be the reason for the chief minister dumping him."

Swamy was an independent MLA from Malavalli, who joined hands with Yeddyurappa last to help him muster the numbers to form the government.

In the line of fire

Apart from Swamy, other ministers in the line of fire are Krishnaiah Setty, Ramachandra Gowda and Revunaik Belumagi.

Record in the making?
If P M Narendra Swamy is indeed stripped of his portfolio, he will have created a record of sorts.
As an official at Balamandir put it: "If the news is true, he will be going out with the record of not visiting one of the most critical places associated with his department."
But Swamy justified his absence at Balamandir, saying, "There are many such institutes and I cannot visit all of them."

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