It’s Reddy versus Yeddy again

Revenue minister G Karunakara Reddy doesn't like to be overlooked for anything, and definitely not for job of flood relief operations overseer

It's Reddy versus Yeddy again

Revenue minister G Karunakara Reddy doesn't like to be overlooked for anything, and definitely not for job of flood relief operations overseer

G Karunakara Reddy, the powerful revenue minister in B S Yediyurappa's cabinet, is upset with the chief minister over being overlooked for the job of overseer of flood relief operations.

Yediyurappa last week chose Rajya Sabha member Rajiv Chandrashekar as the person to coordinate rehabilitation efforts, though this kind of work comes under the disaster management wing of the revenue department.

The order of appointment was issued on Tuesday and Chandrashekar wasted little time in starting off with the job, but revenue officials said they were never informed about it.

"It seems to be a deliberate attempt to irk Karunakara Reddy," said a close aide of the revenue minister. "They are not showing the minimum courtesy of informing him about decisions related to his department."

Many in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are upset over Yediyurappa's decision, saying a crucial responsibility has been given to man who has no past record of handling such things and which involves thousands of crores of rupees that is pouring in by way of donations.

"Money is flowing in from all the directions and we have already smelt irregularities," said a senior BJP leader.

"At this juncture, the move was uncalled for."

Over a hundred companies have come forward to donate, while individual donations keep flowing in. Infosys, Wipro and Biocon have pledged Rs 30 crore each, while other IT companies are also contributing.

Cisco has agreed to donate Rs 50 crore towards building 4,000 houses, besides providing food and healthcare to school students.

But Reddy was not informed when the government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Cisco on Thursday. It was Chandrashekar who took centrestage at the event, with Yediyurappa and IT minister Katta Subramanya Naidu beside him.

"We didn't know the government was singing the MoU," said Narayana Swamy, revenue secretary. "The chief minister's office is handling the whole operation and we are just waiting for instructions."

Reddy is understood to have protested against the chief minister's move strongly and even threatened to resign, while the chief minister defended himself saying he wanted to include everybody in the operation. A spokesperson for Chandrashekar said there was no chance of misappropriation of funds.

"We have ensured a transparent way of handling things and it will be foolproof," said the spokesperson. "The companies are coming forward to donate and we can account for each rupee spent."

He said he was not aware of the reason behind Reddy's absence at the MoU-signing.