The BJP can perhaps prepare to go to early polls by dropping eight ministers from the Shettar Cabinet — mocked former chief minister B.S.Yeddyurappa on Sunday, reacting to the BJP central leadership dropping party spokesperson Ayanur Manjunath and special representative of the state in Delhi V. Dhananjay Kumar from their posts.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, he said eight of his men held major portfolios in the Cabinet and by dropping them, the BJP could easily go for an early polls.
Unhappy with the BJP top brass efforts to “discipline” his loyalists, Mr Yeddyurappa, who is trying hard to wrest the state BJP president’s post, has called a meeting of his supporters on Monday morning at his residence. According to sources, MLAs, MPs, and ministers loyal to Mr Yeddyurappa will meet to discuss the developments in the party, strategy to build pressure on the Central leadership to make Mr Yeddyurappa state BJP president and to read the warning signals from top brass, which dropped Ayanur Manjunath and Dhananjaya Kumar from their key posts. However, the BSY camp will also discuss stepping up its demand for Cabinet reshuffle to bargain for plum portfolios.
Mr Yeddyurappa, who seemed weary of the central BJP’s reluctance to hand him over the state party chief’s post, has again set out on a “image-building” exercise. On Sunday too, while addressing a gathering at Valmiki Jayanthotsav at Kengeri, he called upon honest individuals to enter politics. “Politics has become corrupt and it is time to clean it up. We need more and more honest people to enter politics,” he said.
In a bid to appease the Valmiki community, he assured them small-scale industries minister Raju Gowda, who belongs to the community, would soon be handling a major portfolio.