Yeddyurappa, minister differ on medical college appointments

BANGALORE - The issue of appointment of over 350 non-medical staff to two government run-colleges in Karnataka has pitted Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa against his Medical Education Minister Ramachandra Gowda.

Yeddyurappa Aug 26 cancelled the appointments made in the Mysore and Hassan Medical Colleges but Gowda Thursday told the Karnataka High Court that they were in order and there was no irregularity in the recruitment.

The chief minister’s decision to scrap the appointments of lab technicians, nurses and other non-medical staff was based on a probe report by secretary of medical education department I.M. Vittala Murthy.

With the sacked employees, about 300 in Hassan and 80 in Mysore, resorting to protest and some of them moving the high court, Yeddyurappa has instituted another probe by the state’s Additional Chief Secretary Abhijit Dasgupta.

The high court Monday pulled up Gowda and the government over the appointments and subsequent sacking. It also sought a detailed reply from Gowda.

Yeddyurappa, who was in Gulbarga for the Sep 13 South Gulbarga assembly bypoll, declined to react Thursday to Gowda’s submission to the high court.

“A probe is on and the matter is before the court. I do not want to comment on a matter which is sub-judice. Let the truth come out and I will act accordingly,” he told reporters when his reaction to Gowda’s stand was sought.

Leader of Janata Dal-Secular in the assembly H.D. Revanna has accused Gowda’s son of involvement in the irregularities while police in Hassan have registered cases against the minister’s personal staff based on complaints that they had taken money from candidates to get them appointed.