Bangalore, June 23: Karnataka chief minister S M Krishna today expanded his ministry accommodating former KPCC chief Allum Veerabhadrappa. Veerabhadrappa's induction was on the cards ever since he made way to former Union Minister B Janardhan Poojary to succeed him as PCC president.

Governor T N Chaturvedi administered the oath of office and secrecy to Veerbhadrappa who was earlier a member of the Krishna ministry but had given up his position to occupy the PCC president's post in line with the one-man-one-post principle.

Asked what prompted him to go in for such a limited expansion, Krishna said "it is self-explanatory."

Veerabhadrappa, he said, had relinquished his ministerial post after the party entrusted him with the organisational work (by making him PCC president which he vacated later). "Consciously, some readjustments were made," he said, adding it was "logical" that he should be back in the ministry.
Asked if he was concerned that lingayats, the majority community to which Veerabhadrappa belongs, would be upset by any further delay in inducting him, he shot back saying "that is your interpretation."

Queried if there would be one more expansion, he retorted "whenever it is done, I will inform you and do it."

Veerabhadrappa, inducted as cabinet minister, had been waiting in the wings to become a minister and as PCC chief, he had expressed his disinclination to continue in the party post.

With today's expansion, the third, the strength of the Krishna ministry has gone up to 49.

Bureau Report