Bangalore:
It looks as if the crisis in the Karnataka BJP unit, which threatened the survival of the government, may just be over.
Some of the rebel MLAs who had withdrawn support to the government and travelled from city to city, now say they will be coming back to Bangalore from Goa. They say Yeddyurappa is their leader and that they will back the government in the trust vote early next week.
"MLA Renukacharaya called and said he and other MLAs are returning. I am confident that we will win the vote of confidence," Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa said.
This would mean the government has the requisite numbers in the state Assembly to survive.
According to BJP leaders, the rebellion was fuelled by both the Congress and H D Kumaraswamy of the JD (S).
"In the recent by-election, the Congress has been relegated to third position just 15 days back and still they haven't learnt lessons and they are trying to do all these murky things and they are behind this," said senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu, who was deployed to Bangalore to handle the crisis. (
Read: BJP rushes Venkiah Naidu to firefight)
Former chief minister and Opposition leader HD Kumaraswamy is believed to be the puppeteer of the current crisis. When asked about whether he had nudged the BJP revolt, he said the dissidence was entirely of Yeddyurappa's making. But in the last few weeks, Kumaraswamy, who heads the JD(S), has publicly charged Yeddyurappa with using his office to help his sons buy prized property at throwaway rates. Privately, many say, he has been colluding with BJP MLAs and independent MLAs to quit the government. (
Watch: JD(S) indulging in horse trading, says Karnataka Home Minister)
Worried about its own men switching sides, the Congress is treating 50 of its MLAs to a resort outside Bangalore.
THE BJP STRIKES BACKThe BJP had earlier threatened the rebels who say they've had enough.
The party had made it clear that Yeddyurappa will not be replaced. But, MLAs were offered posts as ministers (Yeddyurappa promised yesterday to expand his Cabinet soon) and chairmanships of state corporations.
For those not sufficiently charmed, the party also announced it will formally begin disqualification proceedings against them before Monday's trust vote on grounds of "anti-party activities."
THE CRISISFourteen rebel BJP MLAs have told the Governor they no longer support the BJP government because it is riddled with corruption. On Wednesday, along with five Independent MLAs, they said they were opting out. They cite corruption. But the real provocation is a recent Cabinet reshuffle, in which some of them lost their posts. (
Watch: Will expand Cabinet, says Yeddyurappa)
One of the BJP MLAs who had rebelled later returned to the fold.
The rebel MLAs who caused the crisis city-hopped from Chennai to Kochi to Mumbai and then Goa. All in 36 hours.