The two-day State executive meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party began in Mysuru on Saturday with the party leaders setting a target of winning more than 150 seats and installing a B.S. Yeddyurappa-led government in the State in the next assembly elections.
During the inaugural session of the meet, which is being held in the backdrop of a public spat between senior party leaders Mr. Yeddyurappa and Eshwarappa, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Ananth Kumar emphasized the need for “unity” in the party.
He said the party should focus on “unity and activity” in the party. Clarifying that unity does not merely mean all the leaders sitting together on a dais, Mr. Ananth Kumar said unity means utilizing a range of skill set among different people in the party for the benefit of the organisation.
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Though there was speculation a couple of days ago that Mr. Eshwarappa could stay away from the meet after he had claimed that he had not received an invitation, the leader had clarified on Friday that he would attend the meet. He arrived at the venue, but refused to speak to the reporters.
A host of party leaders including Union Ministers Ramesh Jigajinagi, D.V. Sadananda Gowda, former Union Minister D. Purandeshwari and V. Srinivas Prasad, former Chief Ministers Mr. Yeddyurappa and Jagadeesh Shettar, besides party’s national general secretary in charge of Karnataka affairs Muralidhar Rao participated.