Even as the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has threatened to bring down the Bharatiya Janata Party government headed by Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, party national general secretary Ananth Kumar on Thursday declared: “Come what may, the Chief Minister will present the State budget, and the government will complete its term.”
“It is not possible for anybody to prevent Mr. Shettar from presenting the budget,” Mr. Kumar remarked while addressing a meeting of Ministers, legislators, corporators and prominent workers of the party Bangalore city unit held at the Palace Grounds as part of the preparations for the next Assembly elections.
Mr. Ananth Kumar pointed out that Mr. Yeddyurappa had set a deadline for bringing down the government while Janata Dal (Secular) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda had stated that his party would extend its support if the principal Opposition Congress moved a no-confidence motion. “We will defeat the no-confidence motion even if Mr. Gowda supports it, and present the budget. Similarly, we will withstand the deadline tactics (of Mr. Yeddyurappa),” Mr. Kumar said, while remarking that “Mr. Yeddyurappa’s deadlines related to toppling the government are only aimed at hogging news headlines.”
He maintained that: “If Mr. Gowda supports the no-confidence motion moved by the Congress, it is going to establish that there is a formal poll understanding between the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular).”
Accusing the Congress of indulging in a proxy war with the BJP through Mr. Yeddyurappa’s Karnataka Janata Paksha, he said the Bhartiya Janata Party would win this war.
Mr. Kumar, who was part of the party’s delegation from the State that attended the swearing-in ceremony of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, called upon his party government to adopt “Modi’s model of development”.
Ministers R. Ashok and S. Suresh Kumar were present.