The former Chief Minister and president of the Karnataka Janata Paksha B.S. Yeddyurappa said his party will merge with the Bharatiya Janata Party unconditionally.
“I have decided to return to the BJP in the interests of the nation. I have not demanded any position for myself or for my supporters in the BJP,” he said at the district-level meeting of the KJP here on Monday. Mr. Yeddyurappa also said he was returning to the BJP to help Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi become the Prime Minister.
After the BJP declared Mr. Modi as its prime ministerial candidate, several spiritual leaders had requested him to join the BJP, he said. The people of Karnataka also want the KJP to merge with BJP to help Mr. Modi to become Prime
Minister. The State executive committee meeting of the KJP held recently decided to merge the party with the BJP, he said.
Mr. Yeddyurappa said he was expecting a formal invitation from the BJP in two days. “After my re-entry, I will tour the entire State to rejuvenate the party. The BJP’s tally in the coming LS elections will improve this time,” he said.
He called upon his supporters not to lose heart over the future of the KJP. The party will emerge as a strong political force in Karnataka in a short span of time. KJP was able to secure more than 10 per cent votes in the recent Assembly elections in the State. The BJP leaders are also aware of the strengths of the KJP. After the merger, BJP leaders should assess the capabilities of KJP leaders and offer suitable opportunities to them, he said.
“The performance of the BJP in the LS polls will depend on the way party leaders treat my supporters. I will not desert them for selfish gains,” he promised.