Responding to the demand of BJP dissidents for a meeting of the Legislature Party at the earliest, an unfazed Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda declared on Wednesday that he was ready to call a meeting but only if the central leadership told him to do so.
“I am ready for a meeting but I will have to take the permission of the party top brass before doing this. I will take this up with the central leadership as I want them to be present with important matters including Cabinet expansion likely to figure at the meeting", said Mr Gowda while speaking to reporters.
The Yeddyurappa camp has been pushing for a meeting as they feel this is their best chance to unseat the CM by proving they have the majority of BJP legislators on their side. Meanwhile, BSY loyalists who are projecting rural development and panchayati raj minister Jagadish Shettar for the chief minister's post, have decided not to rush to Delhi, saying the central leadership is busy with the Presidential elections.
This is a climbdown from Tuesday’s position when they had set a three-day deadline for the CM to call a meeting of the legislature party to discuss various issues, including development works to be initiated in their constituencies. The CM himself seemed in no hurry to call the meeting. "Central leaders are busy with the presidential polls while BJP president Nitin Gadkari is caught in his daughter's wedding preparations. I cannot take a decision right now," he said adding that he would not object to any party leader or MLA rushing to Delhi if they had some work to do.