Breaking the lull, the B S Yeddyurappa camp in ruling BJP in Karnataka on Tuesday set a three-day deadline to Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda to convene the legislature party meeting, throwing up a fresh challenge to his leadership. At a meeting here, the dissidents decided to ask Gowda to summon the Legislature party meet within three days, their persistent demand which the Chief Minister has been dodging.
Briefing reporters, Public Works Minister C M Udasi, a loyalist of state BJP strongman Yeddyurappa, claimed 40 MLAs, seven MLCs and three MPs attended the breakfast meeting at his residence. Udasi said Yeddyurappa and Rural Development Minister Jagadish Shettar, whom the rebels have projected as a successor to Gowda, would soon leave for Delhi to hold talks with central leaders. He said the Yeddyurappa camp enjoyed support of 75 MLAs out of 120 in the 224-member assembly.
The MLAs want to discuss development issues in their constituencies and also problems faced by them, Udasi said. Sources in the rebel camp say it has been decided to take the “oust Gowda” campaign this time to a logical end. When asked what would be the group’s future course of action, if the chief minister did not comply with their deadline, Udasi remarked, “Let us wait for three days.” Yeddyurappa, who is sulking after repeated failures to get the chief ministership back with central leadership rebuffing him, has been pushing for Shettar, also a Lingayat like him, for the chief minister’s post.
Gowda, who cancelled his Bijapur tour on Tuesday, is camping in the city in view of the developments. Meanwhile Shettar, who is in Hubli, said he had no knowledge about the meeting of MLAs in Bangalore, but declared he would abide by the decision of the central leadership. Yeddyurappa and his loyalists kept a low profile since last month after the BJP National Executive was held in Mumbai hoping that the party central leadership would concede their demand for a change in Gowda’s leadership.
With BJP central leadership maintaining silence, the rebels renewed the activities on Tuesday. Yeddyurappa has been batting for Shettar after the party leaders told him in no uncertain terms that he should be cleared of corruption cases against him to win back the chiefministership.
Disslove assembly: Cong
Meanwhile, opposition Congress leader in the state assembly Siddaramaiah on Tuesday demanded that Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda dissolve the assembly and seek a fresh mandate, saying the heightened dissident activity in the ruling BJP has derailed the administrative machinery. “The dissident activity by supporters of former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has brought the administration to a halt,” he told reporters here.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the government has failed to tackle the drought situation.
He said though there has been a delay in the onset of the monsoon, indications were that the state would get good rains. Therefore government should ensure supply of seeds and fertilizers to farmers, he said.
