Drop Kempaiah, says Ramalinga Reddy

Ending days of speculation, CM picked senior member of the Cabinet Ramalinga Reddy for the crucial Home portfolio. Reddy has been a non-controversial member of the Ministry and held the Transport portfolio.

The name of Forest Minister B. Ramanath Rai was earlier doing the rounds to head Home and the Opposition BJP had threatened an agitation if he was picked. A controversial video grab in which he allegedly told the Dakshina Kannada Police not to spare RSS ideologue Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat, known for his controversial speeches, had led to a political row.

Drop Kempaiah

New Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy has reportedly asked Chief Minister Siddharamaiah to drop retired IPS Officer M. Kempaiah from the post of Advisor to Home Ministry.

Kempaiah has been blamed by people within Congress for the mishandling of Mangaluru violence, effecting mass transfers in Police Department and also interfering in the Home Ministry.

Kempaiah, a close associate of Siddharamaiah, who is the architect of Karnataka’s controversial Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), was always in the controversy ever since he was appointed as the Home Minister’s advisor.

Ramalinga Reddy has apparently told the CM that he wants to function independently and does not want to govern the Ministry based on  somebody’s advice.