Raipur/New Delhi:
Will he? Won't he? That's what the BJP is wondering about L K Advani's Bangalore rally on October 30.
Contrary to speculation that he was cancelling his rally in Bangalore as part of his
Jan Chetna Yatra in the wake of the arrest of former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa, senior BJP leader LK Advani today said his trip to the city is on schedule.
"I have no information about my yatra in Bangalore getting cancelled," Mr Advani said adding, "I will go to Karnataka and also go to Bangalore."
This comes 12 hours after his attempt to distance himself from jailed Yeddyurappa had put a question mark over scheduled
yatra events in Karnataka.
The BJP's state unit had asked central leaders to cancel the October 30 rally. The
Jan Chetna Yatra was to continue elsewhere in the state.
The latest turn of events indicates the churning going on between the BJP's Karnataka unit and its central leadership.
Questions were being raised on the Karnataka leg of Mr Advani's
yatra after supporters of BS Yeddyurappa objected to his comments in Nagpur. The senior BJP leader had said that Yeddyurappa had been cautioned in advance but when the Lokayukta report came out he had to resign immediately.
Mr Advani had said, "We never take any party weakness lightly and we proved the same in Karnataka. We are fully aware of the fact that no party can effectively win the confidence of the people against the present corruption of the Congress party if its own house is bedeviled with similar weaknesses."
The BJP realised that in the wake of Yeddyurappa's arrest, and objections raised by his supporters, the party's anti-corruption crusade could be seriously dented. Moreover, many in the party felt that if Mr Advani goes to Bangalore the corruption in the state BJP government would become the focus instead of corruption in the UPA government against which the party has been raising its voice over the past few months.
The Yedyyurapa's group felt that his bete noir in BJP, general secretary Anant Kumar, is behind Advani's tough words against the former Chief Minister. Realising that a rally in Bangalore may hurt Yeddyurappa and showcase Anant Kumar, the former Chief Minister's supporters were out to scuttle the rally.
But now, there are reports that efforts are on to pacify Yeddyurappa's supporters because the party's central leadership feels that any alterations to Mr Advani's
yatra will send the wrong message.
Some sources indicate that Advani's yes to Bangalore rally comes after the Lokayukta Court yesterday extended his judicial custody till November 3. This means Mr Advani will escape sharing a dais with Yeddyurappa in case he was out on bail.