A day after the BJP Central leadership brought about a truce to end the turmoil in the party’s government in Karnataka, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Monday asserted he would continue in the post for a full term.
“Those who projected me as Chief Minister during the last year assembly polls want my continuance for the full five year term. I will continue as Chief Minister,” he told reporters here
Mr. Yeddyurappa, who faced a second bout of revolt against his style of functioning in a span of 18 months after the first ever saffron party government in the South assumed office, said he would reform his style of functioning and take everyone into confidence.
“I will not allow this thing (dissidence) to recur again”, Mr. Yeddyurappa, who was on a sticky wicket after the dissidents, led by the Tourism Minister Janaradhana Reddy and his brother and Revenue Minister Karunakara Reddy raised a banner of revolt, insisting on his removal, said.
As the two-week-long crisis had cast its shadow on the administration,Mr. Yeddyurappa began moves today to put it back on track, holding a meeting with his ministerial colleagues to hasten relief work in flood-hit areas.
“I did not allow the crisis to impact relief work. It has been going on,” Mr. Yeddyurappa, whose official residence drew milling crowds said.
“Hereafter I will be cautious in my every step”, Yeddyurappa said.
He dismissed as “speculation”, dropping of Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Shobha Karandlaje, for whose ouster the rebels have been pressing. He also ducked a question on axing some ministers as part of the compromise formula.
“It has not been decided who are the ministers to be dropped from the ministry. All these issues would be discussed at the Core Committee meeting. After the party’s General Secretary Anantkumar comes to the city, the meeting will be called and state unit President D V Sadananda Gowda will decide on the committee’s composition“.
Interestingly, Shobha and Minister for Water Resources Basavaraj Bommai, whose names are doing the rounds in media circles as ministers who would be dropped, were not present at Yeddyurappa’s residence.
Seeking to mollify the Reddy brothers, Yeddyurappa attributed the turmoil to a “communication gap” and appreciated the cooperation extended by them earlier.
“I have not become weak after the revolt. In fact I have gained more strength than ever before”, he said.
Mr. Janardhana Reddy, who led the revolt, will return to the city along with some rebel MLAs from Hyderabad where they had been camping during the crisis.
Mr. Reddy is likely to call on Yeddyurappa later in the day, sources close to him said.
