The withdrawal of resignations by B.S. Yeddyurappa loyalists in the state ministry, was preceded by some hard talking at Sunday’s meeting between Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda, party state president K.S. Eshwarappa and dissident leader Jagadish Shettar—and a generous helping hand from the RSS.
Party sources said the RSS took the initiative to call the meeting to break the ice between the two groups. BJP organizing secretary Santhosh—a RSS man—was behind the strategy to invite Mr Shettar for the crucial meeting where he was told by the CM and Mr Eshwarappa to break away from Yeddyurappa as the Lingayat leader would never allow a fellow Lingayat to become CM. They told Shettar, who has deep roots in the RSS, that many MLAs in the BSY camp were new entrants to the BJP.
Mr Shettar was also warned that the central leadership clearly favoured dissolution of the Assembly if he and his associates did not back off and withdraw their resignations. It was finally agreed that they would leave the decision to the central leadership after which Mr Shettar left the place.
Close associates of Mr Yeddyurappa however interpreted the meeting differently. They claimed that the CM in an attempt to broker peace, offered Mr Shettar the post of deputy chief minister (DCM), which was outrightly rejected by Mr Shettar who said he was annoyed with the fact that he was being ignored in the decision making process. “At the drop of a hat, you call Mr Eshwarappa and Mr Suresh Kumar for consultations. I stay next door but I am never invited for anything,” he said.
Mr Sadananda Gowda reportedly wanted Mr Shettar to get Yeddyurappa’s nod for the DCM offer to which Mr Shettar shot back that the CM himself should approach Mr Yeddyurappa who had elevated him to the top post. “I had no qualms in working under you as a minister after losing the CM election, you should have treated me with respect,” he said.
Sources said Mr Shettar and Mr Yeddyurappa seem to have made peace on the controversial August, 2011 election for the CM post when BSY backed Sadananda Gowda instead of his Lingayat colleague who lost the battle. Mr Yeddyurappa’s logic now is that when MLAs wanted Sadananda Gowda to become CM, he could do nothing to prevent them. He also tried to put to rest speculation that he preferred energy minister Shobha Karandlaje to Shettar for the CM’s post saying he always knew few MLAs would back her, said the sources.