BJP gen secy to visit Karnataka to discuss party performance

The two day visit by the BJP in-charge for Karnataka also comes amid demands from some BJP MLAs for a party forum to air their grievances against the government and a private complaint filed in a court in Bengaluru seeking a probe by central agencies into allegations of graft and money laundering against the CM and members of his family.

Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday played down the importance of the visit of the BJP state incharge by suggesting that there is nothing beyond the ordinary.

“Arun Singh is coming to Bengaluru. He is in charge of the state. He will have discussions will all the MLAs and MPs. There is no confusion. Anybody who wants to meet him can do so. He will be at the guest house and he will gather all information,” Yediyurappa said.

“There are no problems and the media should not be creating problems. He will be here for two days and then he will return to Delhi. We will co-operate with him to the full extent. There is no crisis or confusion in our party. There is no issue of change in leadership or any other issues. We are all united and there maybe one or two disgruntled persons,” he said.

In a sharp contradiction to the chief minister senior BJP leader and rural development minister K S Eshwarappa said on Tuesday that there were issues in the BJP in Karnataka on account of the party accommodating as many as 12 recent entrants from the Congress and JDS into the state cabinet while ignoring aspirants who have served the BJP for long.

“There would have not been any problems if outsiders had not been accommodated,”said the BJP leader and minister who is an arch rival of chief minister Yediyurappa.

A section of the BJP in Karnataka and at the centre are believed to be in favor of affecting a leadership change in Karnataka on account of the advancing age of Yediyurappa who turned 78 this year but the veteran leader has sent out mixed signals on willingness to make way.

On June 6, shortly after his son B Y Vijayendra met BJP leaders in Delhi, Yediyurappa said that he would continue as CM only if the BJP leadership wants him in the post.

“As long as the Delhi high command has confidence in me I will continue as the chief minister. The day they say that it is enough of Yediyurappa that day I will resign and work day and night for the development of the state. I am not in any doubt,” Yediyurappa said.

Last week, after Arun Singh said he was a “doing a good job” Yediyurappa said he would remain CM of Karnataka for two more years – till the end of tenure of the BJP government.

Supporters of Yediyurappa in the BJP claim that there are only a handful of dissidents opposing the CM and that this group comprising of leaders like Arvind Bellad, V Sunil Kumar, K S Eshwarappa, C P Yogeshwar and Basavaraj Patil Yatnal are isolated in the party.

Some of the unhappy MLAs in the BJP recently forced the BJP high command to prevail over the state government to reverse its April 26 decision to hand over 3667 acres of government land at a throwaway price to the steel major JSW Steel Ltd.

The MLA V Sunil Kumar who is the chief whip of the party and Yatnal, a former union minister, have demanded a BJP legislature party meeting to air their grievances

`There is a situation of confusion in the BJP but the fact is that there is no person who is capable of replacing Yediyurappa in the party at present,” a senior leader said. “Many MLAs and ministers are unhappy about the CM centralizing all powers with him. There are very few ministers allowed to work independently. This is causing displeasure,” the leader said.

According to BJP insiders the party leadership does to want to rock the boat in Karnataka by forcing Yediyurappa – a mass leader – to quit but would rather like Yediyurappa to make way for a new leader on his own.

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