The former Chief Minister and president of the Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP) B.S. Yeddyurappa appeared to be stunned by the action of some of his followers in the BJP in failing to keep their promises to join the KJP and instead choosing to remain in the BJP.
Without naming any of the BJP leaders, who were his close lieutenants when he was the Chief Minister, Mr. Yeddyurappa remarked: “I am totally disgusted and it is still a mystery why these leaders had gone back on their words.”
Talking to presspersons here on Friday, Mr. Yeddyurappa said that the actions of these leaders have pained him.
He said that the people would teach them a lesson in the May 5 elections. “We have precedents of the fate of leaders who behaved in the same fashion earlier and how they were taught a fitting lesson by the people,” he said.
To another question whether it had hurt him that the leaders who were groomed by him by giving important positions in the party and the government had ditched him now, Mr. Yeddyurappa remained silent for a minute before saying, “I will be more careful in the future.”
Mr. Yeddyurappa said that he was not dependent on any leader and was also not concerned about anybody. “I wish them well,” was all that he said.
He said that he was not waiting for anybody to join the party for finalising the candidates.
The party had released a list of 102 candidates and another list of 60 candidates would be released on April 7 after the party's State Election Committee meeting in Bangalore.
The candidates for the remaining constituencies would be announced before April 10.
He said that the party’s manifesto for the Assembly elections would be released in Bangalore on April 10. The Manifesto Committee, headed by senior leader K.H. Srinivas, had held more than four sittings and the draft of the manifesto was ready. Final touches were being given to it before its release on April 10.
Mr. Yeddyurappa said that main focus of the manifesto would be innovative welfare measures for farmers, special attention to the development of rural areas and welfare measures for the middle-class and economically weaker sections of society.
