Motamma, MLC and former Minister, said on Tuesday that the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) launched by the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa was unlikely to make any impact on the State politics in the next Assembly elections.
Ms. Motamma told presspersons here that Mr. Yeddyurappa himself was in a state of confusion and unsure about the number of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Ministers and MLAs who would back him. On the other hand, his supporters in the BJP were unsure about themselves and biding for time before taking any decision. “But the KJP will have an impact on the poll prospects of the BJP, which is a divided house,” she said.
Ms. Motamma refuted that there was any difference in the State unit of the Congress on the leadership of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president G. Parameshwara. She said that Mr. Parameshwara was implementing the decisions taken by the KPCC Executive Committee. Hence he had launched various programmes for strengthening the party such as “Congress Nadige, Janara Balige” (Congress towards people), Congressigi Banni, Badalavane Tanni” (Join Congress and bring change) and “Halikadege Congress Nadige” (Congress towards the villages).
Asked which political party would be the nearest competitor of Congress in the next Assembly elections, Ms. Motamma said: “All parties are our competitors. But ours is a deep-rooted party with a long history”.
On media reports that some BJP Ministers and MLAs, who were earlier in the Congress, were trying to return to the parent party, Ms. Motamma said the Congress had no game plan of luring any BJP Minister or MLA.
Even if such persons desired to return, their chances would depend on their acceptability to the party workers in those constituencies.Manjunath Bhandary, Congress leader, was present.
