india

Updated: Aug 23, 2019 21:26 IST

Chief minister BS Yediyurappa’s visit to New Delhi on Friday to meet Union ministers regarding developmental work was hampered by the unexpected presence of the rebel disqualified MLAs, who were in the national capital to meet their legal counsel.

Ten of the 17 rebels whose resignation and subsequent disqualification led to the collapse of the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government had reached Delhi on Thursday, hours before Yediyurappa landed in the national capital, worried that their case, challenging the disqualification, had not come up for hearing in the Supreme Court.

One senior leader from among the rebels said that the rebels had expected a swift resolution to the matter, so that they could move on. “We were a little concerned about this and, hence, we decided to meet our legal counsel,” the leader said.

However, one senior BJP leader said the rebels were also worried about the lack of communication from the BJP’s side. “They wanted to meet chief minister Yediyurappa to discuss their issues, especially because there has been silence from the national leadership about their future,” he said.

HT could not independently confirm if Yediyurappa met the rebels, though former MLA and BJP leader CP Yogeshwar had travelled with the rebels.

Speaking to HT, AH Vishwanath, former state president of the JD(S), said that there was no truth in speculation that Yediyurappa’s son BY Vijayendra had met them. “We are only here to meet our legal counsel,” he said. When asked if the rebels had demanded that Yediyurappa arrange a meeting with BJP national president and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Vishwanath said that was untrue. “We will meet him if he calls us for a meeting, but we have not demanded one,” he said.

Meanwhile, suspense continued over the allocation of portfolios to the 17 ministers inducted into the state Cabinet on Tuesday. Yediyurappa said before leaving Bengaluru on Thursday that he would ask the BJP central leadership to release the list. However, by Friday evening the list was yet to come out.

Ministers of the Cabinet, in the absence of the portfolios have taken to touring rain and flood affected areas across the state. So far, at least 88 people have lost their lives and 1.6 lakh people have been shifted to relief camps across the state, in the aftermath of the heavy rains that lashed the state from August 1.