Nov. 2: Karnataka’s Reddy versus Yeddy confrontation is far from over. While rebel leader Gali Janardhan Reddy placed his five-point formula before the BJP leadership at a two-hour meeting of senior party leaders at the residence of Mr L.K. Advani in New Delhi, the BJP tried to put a lid on the crisis and the Karnataka strongman refused to buckle.

Sources close to Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said that while he was pleased to hear that his party’s top brass had stood by him and ruled out any change in the leadership of Karnataka, he has his own demands to make when the BJP’s central leadership sounds him out on a compromise formula on Wednesday.Mr Yeddyurappa, who is in Bellary, home of the Reddy mine barons, is expected to arrive in New Delhi on Wednesday to invite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mr Advani for a bhoomi puja ahead of the construction of homes for the flood-hit in Karnataka’s northern districts.The Reddys are publicly pushing for "better leadership in the best interests of the state" and calling for changes to the Cabinet, the reinstatement of officials loyal to them and the setting up of a crisis core committee where differences can be aired. These were placed on the table when they met Mr Arun Jaitley, Mr Ananth Kumar, and later Ms Sushma Swaraj. The latter two, the CM’s camp believes, are behind the bid to grab power in the state, which the party has strenuously denied.Emerging from the meeting at Mr Advani’s residence, Mr Jaitley claimed the situation was "under control" while BJP chief Rajnath Singh also said he was confident of an "amicable solution". This was echoed by Mr Janardhan Reddy, who said: "I have 100 per cent hope that the party high command will provide a very good leader in the interest of Karnataka and every BJP member in the state."But the CM himself is said to have told close aides that Cabinet appointments are the prerogative of the chief minister, and that if he was being asked to axe the only woman minister in his Cabinet and an efficient principal secretary as well as give up the home portfolio, he would ask for the three key Cabinet posts that were given to the Reddy brothers to be revoked."Mr Reddy can put any number of conditions. But there is no question of the high command agreeing to them without talking to the CM," an official said. Sources disclosed that BJP president Rajnath Singh called the state home minister, Dr V.S. Acharya, and said all five leaders who met at Mr Advani’s residence unanimously decided to watch the conduct and behaviour of the Reddys in the coming days before assessing their demands. "We want the Reddys to mellow down before we start working out a compromise formula," Mr Rajnath Singh is said to have told Dr Acharya, the sources added.Apart from Mr Advani and Mr Singh, the other leaders at the meeting were Mr Jaitley, Mr Ananth Kumar and Ms Swaraj. Mr Reddy arrived in New Delhi on Monday morning and was closeted with Mr Jaitley for about three hours at Mr Kumar’s residence. He later called on Mr Rajnath Singh for about 20 minutes at his residence. "Mr Reddy placed his five-point formula before Mr Jaitley and Mr Kumar which, in turn, were discussed in the meeting with Mr Advani."

S.A. Hemanth Kumar and VinodhiniNew Delhi/Bengaluru