A belligerent former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa took his successor D.V. Sadananda Gowda and state BJP president K.S. Eshwarappa to task on certain controversial issues, forcing the core committee to put off decisions on expansion of the Cabinet and disciplinary action against truant legislators for cross-voting in elections to the legislative council.
Sources in the state unit told this newspaper that Mr Yeddyurappa reportedly gave both the leaders an earful as he was miffed with their recent statements. First, it was Mr Gowda’s assertion that he was elected chief minister because of support from the community, made at the felicitation of Balagangadharanath swa-mi of Adichuncha-nagiri math. The former chief minister also took exception to the delay in filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court on alleged involvement of three former chief ministers — S.M. Krishna, N. Dharam Singh and H.D. Kumaraswamy — in illegal mining.
The sources said it was Mr Eshwarappa’s turn next for speaking out against the use of money in elections to the Legislative Assembly in 2008, and launch of “Operation Kamala” in order to maintain stability of the government. He was also unhappy that neither Mr Gowda nor Mr Eshwarappa had initiated disciplinary action a dozen legislators for voting in favour of candidates of other parties, and stated that mere announcements that they would not be given tickets in next year’s polls to the Legislative Assembly would not suffice.
In view of Mr Yeddyurappa’s outbursts, the meeting ended without a consensus of induction of new ministers or disciplinary action against legislators, the sources added.