Though the former Chief Minister, B.S. Yeddyurappa, is the natural choice for the post of the Bharatiya Janata Party State president, the Central leadership is learnt to be keen on him changing his functioning style and desisting from taking unilateral decisions.
According to highly placed sources in the BJP, the leadership has clearly instructed him to ensure that all his decisions are “collective” in nature so that there was no room for groupism.
Such instructions have been given to prevent recurrence of dissidence within the BJP, which haunted the party when it was in power in the State previously. The Central leadership is also learnt to have decided to constantly monitor his functioning as the State president, especially the major decisions to be taken by him.
According to sources, the party leadership has assessed the circumstances as well as reasons that resulted in him stepping down as the Chief Minister and the subsequent crumbling of the party’s political hold in the State. Accordingly, the party feels that his decisions have to be democratic.
“There is no question of doubting the leadership abilities of Mr. Yeddyurappa or his intentions. But the Central leadership wants a changed Yeddyurappa, who will take everybody into confidence while taking decisions,” a senior leader told The Hindu .
“This is for his own good and for that of the party,” he said.
This is also being interpreted in the party as an indirect message to Mr. Yeddyurappa to keep his family members away from the process of political decisions and to keep the alleged “coterie” at bay.
“The Central leadership has entrusted him with the task of bringing back the party to power in Karnataka by activating the cadre and bringing dynamism into it. Our idea is to present a contrasting picture of his dynamism with that of the alleged lethargic attitude of the Congress dispensation,” the senior leader said.
This would mean that Mr. Yeddyurappa will commence preparations for the 2018 Assembly elections now itself by taking the Congress government head on.
The party is set to launch aggressive campaigns against the Congress in about a week from now, particularly against the creation of the Anti-corruption Bureau and the alleged failure to effectively implement drought relief measures, sources said.
Sources say he has been asked to desist from taking unilateral decisions
