Somannas Induction raises Eyebrows

BANGALORE: V Somanna’s induction into the Cabinet must have come as a surprise to many. But his induction was a well thought-out decision of the party which took into consideration all aspects of the Lokayukta report on illegal mining.Somanna’s name was not in the list of to-be ministers till the last minute of the swearing-in ceremony. But it was included after he got a clear-chit by the party high command.The BJP national leaders, including Arun Jaitley who is a lawyer himself, were of the view that though Somanna’s son Arun Somanna had been named in the report, nowhere it directly or indirectly pointed at Somanna’s culpability. It is being said that Jaitley went through the report thoroughly to see if there is anything pointing directly at Somanna. “When they did not find anything against him, they gave a green signal for his induction,” sources in the BJP said.     However, Somanna’s induction has caused a heart-burn in Bellary Reddys’ camp. Powerful Reddy brothers, who were trying hard to make it to the Cabinet, were told by the party high command in no uncertain terms that they could not be made the ministers unless they got a clean chit from the competent authority on their alleged involvement in illegal mining as made out in the Lokayukta report.Though the Reddys argued that they would fight the Lokayukta report legally, nobody listened to them.