Will expand Cabinet before my Davos visit: Yediyurappa

Days after indicating that he may not travel to Davos to attend the World Economic Forum later this month, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Monday said he would attend the global meet, and that the expansion of his ministry would take place before his foreign tour.

Reiterating that he would keep his promise of making disqualified legislators who won the December 5 bypolls on BJP tickets as ministers, he said cabinet expansion would take place soon after his meeting with party president Amit Shah on the matter.

This, amid repeated delays in his Delhi visit, and disqualified legislators like A H Vishwanath, who lost during the bypolls, also demanding a ministerial berth.

"There is no truth in speculations regarding the cabinet expansion. In fact Amit Shah had given me time for a meeting today in Delhi, but I had to attend important programmes here.

Tomorrow, if possible,I will cancel all my programmes and go to Delhi and get cabinet (expansion) cleared. There is no problem in that," Yediyurappa said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said the legislators who have won in the bypolls need not worry about the speculations.

"I will fulfill the promise that I have made. If Amit Shah is available, I will try to go to Delhi tomorrow.

If not he is coming here (Karnataka) on January 17 and 18, will get things cleared and expand the ministry," he said.

Yediyurappa had earlier said he would be leaving for New Delhi, probably on January 11 or 12, to discuss cabinet expansion with the BJP high command.

However on Saturday, he said he has decided to discuss it with Shah during the latter's visit to the state next week.

Shah will be here to address a massive rally at Hubballi on January 18 aspart of BJP's nationwide outreach programme to create awareness on the Citizenship Amendment Act.

To a question about his visit to Davos, Yediyurappa said "everyone is persuading me to go, so I have decided to go.

As I'm being sent by the central government, so I will have to go, and I will go and come."
Asked if he would become Minister and what action he would take if he was not considered, Vishwanath said, "let's see...wait and watch."
Asked about Vishwanath's demand, Yediyurappa said, "just because someone said so, it cannot be done. What the National President says, I will do it accordingly."