The Bharatiya Janata Party Central leadership is learnt to have declined permission to State unit president B.S. Yeddyurappa’s plan to restructure the highest decision-making body of the State core committee, by including his loyalists.
Sources said that Mr. Yeddyurappa — who is being accused by a section of senior State leadership of giving preference to the appointment of State and district office-bearers to his loyalists who had followed him into the Karnataka Janata Party — also wanted to restructure the core committee, the highest decision-making body in the State.
“While there was no objection per se to any minor modification of the core committee, the manner in which he tried to effect restructuring did not go well with the Central leadership,” a party Central leader told The Hindu .
“Normally, the core committee has 10 to 12 members. However, Mr. Yeddyurappa wanted to increase its size to 22, besides proposing to axe some key personalities, including former State president Pralhad Joshi. Also, he wanted to include his own loyalists such as former Minister B.J. Puttaswamy much against the practice of giving representation to those who have a long association with the party organisation,” he said. While the Central leadership took a decision to turn down the plans for such an expansion and revamping of the core committee three to four days ago, its stand is learnt to have been conveyed to him on Tuesday when he visited New Delhi.
Incidentally, on the same day, more than 250 members from the party cadre, including a few legislators and former ministers, met at the party State headquarters in Bengaluru to demand redoing of the State and district office-bearers’ list. They had accused him of taking unilateral decision on the choice of office-bearers without consulting leaders.
RSS leaders upset too
Sources said that some of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leaders too are upset over such organisational appointments and have conveyed their displeasure to the Central leadership. According to them, there is a possibility of the Central leadership formally asking him to change his style of functioning in about 15 days from now.
“Nobody is objecting to him becoming the party State president or his opportunity to become the next chief minister. But all that the party organisation wants is that he must take everybody along and desist from ignoring party traditions and conventions,” a senior leader said.
While there is no objection per se to any minor modification of the core committee, the manner in which he tried to effect restructuring did not go well with the top leadership
BJP Central leader
