The former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, who is set to take over as the Bharatiya Janata Party State unit president for the fourth time on April 14, calls himself a “completely changed person”.
“I am not the same old Yeddyurappa. I have learnt from the past experiences and mistakes. My focus now is to take everybody in the party together,” said the 73-year-old MP who had to face intra-party dissidence when he was the Chief Minister.
In an interview with The Hindu , he declared that his single-point agenda was to ensure that the BJP returned to power in the State in the 2018 Assembly elections with an absolute majority by winning 150 seats in the 224-member House. He wants to achieve this by infusing “aggression” into the party campaigns to effectively take on the Congress government.
Excerpts from the interview:
You had quit the party which you built brick by brick, returned to it, and now you are set to head it. Are you as comfortable as you were when you headed the party earlier?
I am definitely comfortable because everybody in the party is together in supporting me. I committed the mistake of quitting the party for which I will apologise to the people of Karnataka. Despite this, the Central leadership reposed faith in me by giving this position. This has enhanced my political spirit.
Though you were the natural choice, why did the Central leadership take time to make the appointment?
They had made the decision long ago to appoint me, considering the political situation in Karnataka which is witnessing maladministration by the Congress government. They, however, had to wait as the term of the then president Pralhad Joshi ended only about 15 days ago.
What is your immediate priority?
I have to strengthen the party organisation to ensure it wins 150 seats in the next Assembly elections from the present 44. It is a tough task no doubt, but definitely achievable if serious efforts are made. Of course, it is not as tough as the situation in 2008 when we came to power for the first time in Karnataka. This is because the Congress government headed by Siddaramaiah here has already become unpopular owing to its corrupt practices and apathetic attitude.
How do you plan to strengthen the party?
I want to take up aggressive campaigns against the government, especially with respect to its failure to handle drought and the formation of the Anti-Corruption Bureau. We will reach out to people through extensive tour of the State. Efforts will be made to strengthen the party organisation in nine districts where we do not have any representation and in another 13 districts where our representation is very thin.
Also, several leaders are ready to return to the BJP while leaders from the Congress and the JD(S) are approaching us. A decision on whether to include them in the party fold will be taken in consultation with the leaders.
Some Congress leaders have said that your appointment will strengthen the Congress as you are facing corruption charges.
They must understand that the courts have cleared me of most of the charges. I am confident of getting legal relief in the remaining cases too.
Actually, the Congress does not have moral right to talk about corruption as its present dispensation is involved in large-scale corruption. This is the reason why they have formed the ACB to protect themselves.
Is there any uncertainty on you getting the chief ministerial post even if you lead the party to victory in the 2018 elections?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party national president Amit Shah have declared me as the chief ministerial candidate.
Is there any plan to have an alliance with the JD(S)?
There is no need for any political alliance as we are confident of getting absolute majority on our own.
(Full text of interview atbit.ly/1Q4MXU7)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah have already declared me as the next chief ministerial candidate
Several leaders from the Congress and the JD(S) are approaching us to join the BJP
