The rebel B.S. Yeddyurappa faction in Karnataka on Sunday sought to mount pressure on the BJP central leadership setting July 5 deadline
for a decision on making their nominee Jagadish Shettar the chief minister replacing incumbent D.V. Sadananda Gowda.
Lok Sabha members from the state, MLAs and MLCs supporting Yeddyurappa met at the residence of Shettar and rallied behind him in a show of strength, a day after BJP emissary Dharmendra Pradhan held consultations with rival factions to resolve the crisis triggered by the resignation of nine ministers loyal to the former Chief Minister.
"We have unanimously decided to appeal to the high- command to make Shettar the Chief Minister," Raju Gowda, who was among the nine Ministers, told reporters, while speaking for the group.
"We are confident that a good decision will come by July five. If it does not come (by then), we will meet and take an important decision on July five," he added.
The attendees decided to authorise Yeddyurappa and Shettar to take a decision on political developments and abide by it.
They appealed to the party high-command to convene the Legislature Party meeting. Raju Gowda said if it was not done, legislators loyal to Yeddyurappa themselves would convene one. He claimed that more than 55 MLAs, 15 MLCs and eight MPs attended the meeting.
Lok Sabha member Suresh C. Angadi blamed the party's central leadership for the crisis, saying he had brought it to the notice of top leaders Nitin Gadkari, L.K. Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, besides senior leader from the state H.N. Ananth Kumar and 'no body is caring'.
"If the party high-command does not take a decision by July five, I want to warn that the party's high command will be responsible for the consequences," Angadi said.
Lok Sabha members G.S. Basavaraj, G.M. Siddeshwar and B.Y. Raghavendra (Yeddyurappa's son) and Rajya Sabha member Prabhakar Kore were among those present at the meeting.
Meanwhile, BJP central leadership emissary Pradhan, who is in-charge of party affairs in Karntaka, appealed to the nine Ministers to withdraw their resignation.
"Their withdrawal will facilitate further talks," said Pradhan, who also met RSS leaders for their view on the crisis.
He said he would apprise senior party leaders about the 'Karnataka situation' and hoped that 'everything would be sorted out' and the crisis resolved.
"Appropriate action will be taken at appropriate time," said Pradhan.