Yeddyurappa toes the line, but for how long?

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A pep talk by RSS leaders on Wednesday has evidently helped former Karnataka chief minister, B.S. Yeddyurappa, to shun star tantrums as well as his come-back plans and to toe the party line of a collective leadership in Karnataka.

The beleaguered leader, who spoke out against collective leadership last week, spoke in support of such an initiative during an interview with Deccan Chronicle in his home-turf, Shimoga, on Thursday.

Mr Yeddyurappa said, “I along with state unit president K.S.Eshwarappa and Chief Minister D.V.
Sadananda Gowda will tour the state as a team. We will not give any room for division in the party.”

The fact that the former chief minister has shelved his comeback ambitions was evident when he said he had not sought anything from the central leadership. “I have not made any demands. National leaders of BJP will take an appropriate decision at the appropriate time,” he added.

Meanwhile, sources in the party said RSS leaders counselled Mr Yeddyurappa against arm-twisting the senior leadership by parading his camp-followers in the Cabinet. They asked him to desist from any further moves to destabilise the party, atleast until the Assembly elections are over. This would allow the leaders to take a decision on a future role for him in the party.

RSS functionaries who had made significant sacrifices while building the organisation and the party from scratch in the state, said he should emulate them rather than play the Lingayat community card to force senior leaders reinstate him as chief minister.

They told him to tour the entire state alongside the Chief Minister and the state unit president