BJP high command to consult him on various party issues
The two-day consultations held by Bharatiya Janata Party’s central leaders Arun Jaitley and Dharmendra Pradhan in Bangalore did not lead to a consensus either on the appointment of a new State president of the party or on taking a clear stand on how to handle rebelling former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, who has been threatening that he may quit the party by December.
The BJP is learnt to be in the final stages of evolving a formula prescribing a political working arrangement among top leaders of the party if Mr. Yeddyurappa chooses to remain.
“The question of appointing Mr. Yeddyurappa as State president has been ruled out as the party has stuck to its earlier stand that such posts cannot be offered to him till the charges of corruption made against him are proved wrong. While not compromising on such a stand, we are trying to see how best the party can accommodate him if he wants to continue in the party,” sources in the party said.
In this context, party leaders are learnt to have decided to invite Mr. Yeddyurappa to Delhi soon for consultations with the high command on various issues, including the appointment of new State president. “As per the present indications, we should be able to appoint the new president within a fortnight,” sources said.
Mr. Jaitley and the party organisational leaders are learnt to have discussed various issues related to Mr. Yeddyurappa’s rebellion and his threat to quit the party. The leaders reportedly discussed the extent of damage on the party if Mr. Yeddyurappa quits and the problems of managing him if he continues in the party. “While the party’s prospects are bound to suffer if he quits, handling him if he continues in the party is going to be a complex task,” sources noted.
Both camps consulted
Mr. Jaitley held consultations with leaders from both the Yeddyurappa camp and the rival group, besides the neutral group, to elicit their views on prominent issues. Though Mr. Yeddyurappa stayed away from the meeting, his close aides and Ministers Shobha Karandlaje, V. Somanna and Basavaraj Bommai attended the consultations.
Similarly consultations were also held with Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, party national general secretary Ananth Kumar, Minister Arvind Limbavali, MPs D.B. Chandre Gowda and P.C. Mohan and the former Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu, among others.
Even as Mr. Jaitley continued his consultations in Bangalore, Mr. Yeddyurappa sent a strong signal to the party high command by publicly attacking State unit president K.S. Eshwarappa and the former Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda in Shimoga.
Keywords: Karnataka BJP crisis, Yeddyurappa threat, factionalism
When master corrupt Congress govt and ministers can rule the nation, why not Yeddy who may have done smalll corruptions? Yeddy is a peoples leader, Delhi BJP so-called leaders are power manipulators sitting in luxurious palaces. So these Delhi elite BJPs so-called leaders want to cut every regional leaders head, so that they can continue to manipulate. BJP is BJPs enemy, not Congress.
Mr Yeddurappa is thumping his nose at the BJP brass. His brashness should have been snubbed long back but the 'brain trust' in BJP decided not to. Throw him and his coterie out of the party immediately. I am sure he will forge an alliance with Congress and/or Kumaraswamy deva Gowda. That will expose his 'clean-image' credentials and the election process will take care of the rest. By allowing him to call the shots, other leaders waiting in the wings will get the courage to do the same. BJP will become a Congress without a Gabdhi at the top.
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