The crisis in the ruling BJP in Karnataka deepened further with loyalists of former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa deciding to boycott the opening day’s budget session on Tuesday.
Even as BJP central leadership said it will send an emissary to resolve the leadership tussle, Mr. Yeddyurappa loyalists decided to continue their stay in a private resort where they have been lodged since Sunday.
However, they decided to depute two ministers — Jagadish Shetter and C.M. Udasi — and MLAs Lakshminarayan and Chandrakant Bellad to attend on Tuesday’s session.
The party Central leadership had promised to depute an emissary after the current budget session to resolve the crisis. The assurance has paved way for the Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda to present his maiden budget on Wednesday without any hindrance.
“The central leadership will be sending its emissary to Bangalore to resolve the leadership issue and Gowda will present the budget as scheduled tomorrow,” Minister for Water Resources and a prominent Yeddyurappa loyalist Basavaraj Bommai told reporters at a private resort here.
Mr. Bommai said the group has demanded that the party convene a legislature party meeting to decide the leadership issue.
The central leadership, especially BJP General Secretary Arun Jaitley, has been in constant touch with B S Yeddyurappa and had detailed talks with him over the issue, Mr. Bommai said.
“Whatever the central leadership arrives at a decision we will abide by it,” Mr. Bommai said.
He urged State BJP President K.S. Eshwarappa to withdraw suspension orders issued to B.J. Puttaswamy who filed his nomination for Rajya Sabha polls as rebel candidate.
He said since BJP had numbers in the legislature house, they fielded Mr. Puttaswamy as the third candidate. “We don’t think he is a rebel candidate,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Gowda said he has been authorised by the party to present the budget on Wednesday.
Talking to reporters, he exuded optimism that the crisis would soon be resolved.
Former minister Aravind Limbavally, one of the MLAs, who had proposed the nomination of Puttaswamy for the Rajya Sabha polls has declared that he has withdrawn his signature.He said he did not wish to be identified with any group.
