Bengaluru: A spar over vacating the government quarters between the Transport Minister Byrati Suresh and former Social Welfare Minister Dr H C Mahadevappa has exposed the internal bickering within former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's camp.
While H C Mahadevappa has continued to occupy the government quarters allotted to him on the Crescent Road, Byrati Suresh has started renovating the quarters and has also got the meeting hall in the quarters demolished for constructing a new one.
Miffed Dr Mahadevappa has taken to the social media and expressed the displeasure by saying `power is not permanent. I don't have my own house in Bengaluru and am looking for a rented house. Soon after finding a suitable house, I will vacate the quarters. It is not proper to start renovating and sending words with others to vacate the house, when the family members are there,'' he said.
However, Byrati Suresh reacted and said that the Chief Minister had allotted that house to him, as he had to travel a long distance to come to office. The rule is that the ministers should vacate the quarters in 90 days of losing their post and that time is over. ``I have not asked them to vacate, but I am getting some renovations done, so that it will be ready when I occupy it,'' he added.
Interestingly, both Dr Mahadevappa and Suresh belong to Siddaramaiah camp. Dr Mahadevappa quit JD(S) and followed Siddaramaiah to Congress way back in 2008, while Suresh is a later entrant. But, after stepping down from Chief Minister's post three months ago, Siddaramaiah's old core group has witnessed cracks.
While Siddaramaiah was miffed with his close associate Zameer Ahamed Khan, he did not back some of his own followers while his successor D K Shivakumar formed the government. Other than his son Yatindra Siddaramaiah and Byrati Suresh. Most of his oldest supporters like Satish Jarkiholi, Dr Mahadevappa, Periyapattana Venkatesh and others were left to fend for themselves.
Though the differences were brushed under the carpet, a recent rally in Bengaluru exposed it completely. Though it was called AHINDA (Minorities, Backward Communities and Dalits), absence of minority community was glaring since Zameer is no longer with Siddaramaiah camp. Besides, backward class leaders like Satish Jarkiholi, Dr Mahadevappa were also not invited.
Though the organisers tried to defend saying that it was not AHINDA rally but the rally comprising backward class communities, they did not have an answer for the absence of Jarkiholi and Dr Mahadevappa.
The prominent people who were present in the rally included Deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwar, Education Minister Madhu Bangarapa, Ministers Byrati Suresh, Ajay Singh and Yatindra Siddaramaiah.
Siddaramaiah, who has announced his retirement from electoral politics, is trying hard to set a proper base to his son Yatindra Siddaramaiah political future in the State.
