The battle between Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and his detractors — within the BJP and in the Opposition — has shifted to the national capital with the chief minister reportedly rushing ministers close to him to New Delhi to make a spirited defence before the party’s central leaders.
This seems to be a clever tactic to preempt any move by the central core committee of the BJP to remove him. The core committee has already held a meeting with state leaders, including Mr Yeddyurappa, but is yet to pronounce its decision on whether a change of leadership is needed in Karnataka or not.
Sources in the party said that Mr Yeddyurappa’s family members and a few ministers were likely to meet senior BJP leaders Saturday night and explain to them the need to retain him, at least till the next budget. The ministers, who include major industries minister Murugesh Nirani and water resources minister Basavaraj Bommai, are expected to do their best to convince the leaders that the chief minister has not violated any law while allotting land to companies owned by his progeny.
Sources said a few officers too are accompanying them to provide documentary evidence to the BJP leaders so that they can counter the Janata Dal (S) when it raises the land scam in Delhi and in Parliament.
Meanwhile, the core committee that sought the opinions of state BJP leaders Friday night has not made public its views. “Party national president Nitin Gadkari and Opposition leader in the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley, received a feedback from us. Every state leader was called in separately for the discussion, so no one knew what the other leader said,” one of the leaders who attended the meeting told this newspaper.
Sources said party general secretary Ananth Kumar and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj were kept out of the consultation as other leaders felt they could be biased in their approach. Ms Swaraj is considered close to the Reddy brothers of Bellary, whose relations with the CM are anything but friendly.
With Mr Gadkari and Ms Swaraj away in Wardha to attend a party rally, the central core group of the party is not likely to meet this weekend. Mr Gadkari is expected to return to Delhi only on Tuesday. Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani was away in Mumbai after a family member passed away and returned to Delhi on Saturday. He is expected to go to Mumbai again on Sunday, the sources said, adding that the party may not take a decision on the leadership change before Tuesday.
In a related development, Mr Jaitley reportedly said in New Delhi that the consultation process was not over. However, in Chitradurga, Mr Yeddyurappa contradicted Mr Jaitley. “The statement given by Mr Arun Jaitley that the party top brass is not satisfied is wrong. The party leadership is convinced about the submission I made during the meeting on Friday. I will meet them again on Monday with proper documents for their verification,” he said.
The chief minister’s decision to rush his family members and ministers to Delhi to defend him and the manner in which he contradicted Mr Jaitley is enough to indicate that his future still hangs in the balance. Sources said he was given enough hints at Friday’s meeting that he may have to go sooner or later. Sources in the chief minister’s camp said Mr Yeddyurappa would continue till the next state budget and step down after the exercise was over.