Issuing a veiled threat to the government that it cannot undermine him and to tread carefully while dealing with his supporters, Bharatiya Janata Party rebel leader B.S. Yeddyurappa on Thursday said the Jagadish Shettar government was a coalition government supported by him (Yeddyurappa) and not a full-fledged one.
“If the MLAs and Ministers, who have identified themselves with me even after I have announced the decision to float a new party, are still continuing in the BJP and the government, then it is nothing but a coalition government. Though we do not want to publicly call it a coalition government, everybody, including Mr. Shettar, people of the State and the media know it is one,” Mr. Yeddyurappa told presspersons in Bangalore.
Date advanced
The former Chief Minister, who had earlier announced the holding of a rally in Haveri on December 10 to mark his joining the Karnataka Janata Paksha, took serious exception to the counter strategy of the government to hold the winter session of the State legislature in Belgaum during this time. “They are trying to obstruct me from holding the event. I have advanced the proposed convention from December 10 to December 9, which is a Sunday, so that my supporters can attend the meet since the session will not be there on that day,” he said. He was yet to decide on who among the legislators and Ministers should attend the rally, and whether they should resign from their posts. “Since they want the Shettar government to continue, it is left to them to decide whether they should attend the rally. But I want to make it clear that our rally is not dependent on any legislator or Minister. Whoever comes or not, the convention will go on as people of the State and my well-wishers are ready to come with me,” he said.
‘Dissolve BBMP’
Coming down heavily on the government and the BBMP for their failure to resolve the garbage crisis in Bangalore, he said he would have dissolved the BBMP if he had been the Chief Minister. He termed the entire episode as “shameless”. He appealed to the people of Bangalore to assess the contribution of different governments and leaders for the city’s development.
