Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa on Thursday held consultations with his loyalist ministers and legislators and sought to rope in the Reddy brothers to weigh the options before him after the BJP top brass asked him to step down.
Shortly after his arrival from Delhi where he was told by the top brass to make way for another leader after the Lokayukta report on mining scam, Mr. Yeddyurappa went into a huddle with more than a dozen MLAs and other ministers, including C.M. Udasi, Murugesh Nirani, Umesh Katti and Basavaraj Bommai.
Health and Family Welfare Minister B. Sreeramulu, a close confidant of the Reddy brothers from mineral-rich Bellary district — Ministers G Karunakara and G Janardhana, who have been indicted in the Lokayukta report- met Mr. Yeddyurappa after being called by him.
Before meeting the Chief Minister, Mr. Sreeramulu said the party high command is supreme. “We will abide by the party high command. We are not bigger than high command, we are not bigger than the party. High command decision is final."
Mr. Bommai, as an emissary of Mr. Yeddyurappa, was believed to have met the Reddy brothers, amid indications that the Chief Minister has widened his consultations on his options.
