BSY’s Cong link: BJP in a bind

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B.S. Yeddyurappa’s secret parleys with Congress leaders including Union minister of state for railways K.H. Muniyappa, have given his rivals in the BJP enough reason to take the battle to the party top brass. It remains to be seen if the leadership has the gumption to take on the popular BJP leader, their only bet for a victory in the 2013 Assembly polls, after meekly giving in to his demand to replace Sadananda Gowda with his nominee for the CM post, Jagadish Shettar.

Sources said the state leadership has complained to central leaders about the brazen manner in which BSY has been behaving by meeting up with Congress leaders. This is interpreted as a move by the veteran Lingayat leader to break away from the party if it does not make him party president or prevents him from playing kingmaker when seat distribution begins for the Assembly polls.

Deccan Chronicle had, in an exclusive news report last week revealed the series of meetings between the former CM, Mr Muniyappa and former MP Sachidananda Swamy, between June 21 and July 31 in Bengaluru. Several top BJP functionaries including Mr Yeddyurappa’s friend turned foe D.V. Sadananda Gowda, have conveyed their annoyance over these meetings, sources said.

State leader aver that meetings with leaders of the Opposition Congress should be seen as anti-party activity. While these may be pressure tactics by the former CM to secure the post of party president, there could also be a secret agenda, they say adding that to dispel suspicion, BSY could have met the Congress leaders publicly.

“He has gone for these meetings without police escort which proves he is seriously exploring the possibility of aligning with the Congress in a post -poll pact and does not want to let the cat out of the bag till things are ironed out,” a source said.

The state unit has also complained about BSY’s attempts to build a parallel power centre, ignoring the requests of central leaders, by keeping the pot boiling at his office in Malleshwaram.