The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today gave a conditional reprieve to Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa. The chief minister will retain his chair, but he will have to rein in his family members from interfering with party work. He has been asked to get more seats in the upcoming panchayat and zila parishad elections in the state.
Senior BJP leaders also asked Yeddyurappa to “reform” himself and make a “concerted effort” to keep everybody together. The BJP leadership also assured the Karnataka chief minister that they would personally speak to people opposed to him in the central leadership, like Ananth Kumar, to ensure a better coordination between the central and state leaders.
“An environment of uncertainty has been created in Karnataka during the past few days due to several allegations being made against B S Yeddyurappa. He has denied these allegations and has offered his response both publicly and to party leaders. After my consultations with senior party colleagues and the state leaders, the party has decided to continue B S Yeddyurappa as the chief minister. With the panchayat and zila parishad elections round the corner, the party appeals to all its leaders and workers to work for the success of the party,” said Nitin Gadkari, BJP president.
Party sources said the decision to continue with Yeddyurappa was not final. They said his performance in the panchayat and zila parishad elections would be closely watched and he should ensure the party got more seats this time.
Soon after Yeddyurappa’s name cropped up for illegally transferring government land in favour of his family members, the core group of BJP had unanimously decided he should resign. But the Karnataka chief minister remained defiant.
“There is a strong word of caution for Yeddyurappa. He has been told that everything is not right and he should set things right. The senior leaders have also assured that they would personally intervene and speak to the factions within the central leadership to ensure no further tussle is created,” said a senior minister from Karnataka, who was in Delhi to lobby for Yeddyurappa.
The sources said Yeddyurappa got another opportunity because the state assembly had a “razor-thin majority” and there was a possibility that the government might fall if he was removed. The central leaders also believe Yeddyurappa’s control over the Lingayat community will help the BJP do well in the elections.
According to some members of the Karnataka Cabinet, the central leadership feels Yeddyurappa doesn’t give due respect to them, and he should respond to the need and ideas of the central leadership.
“There is a lot that depends on the personal chemistry of the leader. So, he has been asked to change his attitude towards the state and central members,” said the Karnataka minister.
