Yediyurappa says no to cabinet-rank perks offered by Bommai govt

BS Yediyurappa urged newly appointed chief minister Basavaraj Bommai to provide him with only those facilities that he was eligible for as the immediate former CM.

A day after the Karnataka government accorded cabinet rank status to former chief minister BS Yediyurappa, the senior BJP leader wrote to his successor Basavaraj Bommai to withdraw the same. He urged the newly appointed chief minister to provide him with only those facilities that he was eligible for as the immediate former CM.

File image of BS Yediyurappa with newly appointed Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai. (PTI)

"I request you to provide me only those facilities which are given to an immediate former chief minister and withdraw the order giving me a cabinet rank," Yediyurappa wrote in his letter that was made available to the media.

On Saturday, Bommai had ordered that Yediyurappa, who is said to have played a key role in the former’s elevation as the CM, with all facilities at par with Cabinet-rank ministers.

According to a notification from the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR), the perks will be applicable till the time Bommai is in office. This would have also meant, the senior leader from the Lingayat community may have continued to live in Cauvery, the official residence of the Karnataka chief minister.

At the time, Bommai had said he had no issues working under the guidance of Yediyurappa, who is a mentor and his vast experience would only help him govern the state efficiently.