Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa’s attempt to prove his strength in the party failed miserably as close to half of 107 legislators in the party did not turn up at his meeting, here today.
In an effort to show his absolute control over party MLAs, Yeddyurappa had called a meeting at his residence today. However, about half of the party MLAs, including revenue minister G Karunakar Reddy, tourism and infrastructure minister G Janardhana Reddy and panchayat raj minister Jagadish Shettar among others did not turn up for the breakfast meeting.
Many of them excused themselves aaying they had some or the other pressing engagements in their respective constituencies. Their main complaint is about corruption charges against the chief minister which they felt is affecting party’s image.
This clearly shows that the chief minister had failed to read the situation properly and gives enough scope to the public to understand that things are not going smoothly in the party. The official reason for today’s meeting was to discuss the issues of the member’s constituencies.
In order to calm the dissidents in the party, Yeddyurappa has called for a legislature party meeting soon to discuss all the issues threadbare. Today’s developments were very much visible on the face of the chief minister, who looked downcast with dropping shoulders and did not exhibit his usual air of confidence.
Yeddyurappa is also expected to visit Delhi soon and discuss the present political situation with senior party leaders. He has also got an official engagement with the Planning Commission though at the same. Bharatiya Janata Party’s state President K S Eshwarappa and senior party leader H N Ananth Kumar, who seem to have emerged as a rallying point for Yeddyurappa detractors, were also absent from the meeting. Only around 40 MLAs and other ministers attended the meeting.
Yeddyurappa loyalists like V S Acharya, C M Udasi, Murugesh Nirani, Umesh Katti, B N Bachegowda, V Somanna, Lakshman Savadi, Govind Karjol and Basavaraja Bommai were among those who attended the meeting. The BJP has the support of 107 MLAs in the Assembly, including the Speaker.
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The dissident MLAs have already expressed their displeasure with the high command. At the same time, they reiterated that there was no dissidence within the BJP party and stated that it was a creation of the media.
Yeddyurappa blamed the media for creating a rift within the party with distorted reports while speaking to reporters. He also pointed fingers at the opposition JD(S) and former prime minister Deve Gowda and his sons for creating the rift within his party.
A BJP source said a significant number of attendees were not “originally from the party”, suggesting that they came from other outfits over a period of time. The meeting is expected to spark a “loyalist-outsider” debate.
The new dissident activity started on a dramatic fashion on Wednesday night with about 50 MLAs and some ministers holding a meeting with Eshwarappa and Ananth Kumar airing their grievances against Yeddyurappa.
Yeddyurappa’s detractors were unhappy particulary about the non-development of their constituencies, the chief minister’s “dictatorial attitude” and “his habit of taking unilateral decisions” without taking the party into confidence.
It now appears that the strategy adopted by the Yeddyurappa camp has clearly backfired and will have to now extend the olive branch to the dissenting legislators.
However, it remains to be seen what kind of offer Yeddyurappa would be making to his opponents or what would be the main demand of the dissidents.