The former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar on Wednesday denied reports that the Bharatiya Janata Party had sent feelers to the former Chief Minister and Karnataka Janata Paksha president B.S. Yeddyurappa to return to the party.
In an obvious reference to reports that BJP leader C.T. Ravi had met Mr. Yeddyurappa on Tuesday to invite him back, Mr. Shettar told reporters here that “there is no thinking or discussion in any of the BJP fora to bring back Mr. Yeddyurappa. Our party has not sent anybody to meet or convince Mr. Yeddyurappa to return to the BJP. There has to be reciprocation for any proposal to materialise.”
He said that there was no meaning in discussing the issue as the former Chief Minister had said that he was not coming back to the BJP.
Division of votes
But he admitted that the party had lost the Assembly elections due to division of votes.
“The BJP workers have come out of the shock and are getting ready to face the Lok Sabha elections. We are confident of winning more number of seats than the Congress in the parliamentary elections,” he said.
He said that the BJP leaders would go on a tour of the State after the legislature session to strengthen the party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
On the style of functioning of the Chief Minister, Mr. Shettar said that Siddaramaiah appeared to be in a great hurry for some reasons. “The Chief Minister has been taking decisions in a hurry without knowing their implications, though he has five years to go.”
He said that the BJP would provide issue-based support to the Principal Opposition Janata Dal (S).
Cow slaughter
Mr. Shettar said that the party would fight the Congress in the legislature for deciding to recall the anti-cow slaughter Bill and annulling the decision taken by the erstwhile BJP government to carve out 43 taluks.
Mr. Shettar denied the Congress allegations that the decision on the taluks was made hastily by the BJP government during the fag end of the tenure.
He made it clear that the decision was taken based on the reports submitted by four official committees.
