Bangalore:
BS Yeddyurappa wants the Karnataka's chief minister's chair back or a senior party post and is flexing some muscle. Enough muscle to have forced his party the BJP to cancel Day 2 of a state 'chintan baithak' called to discuss the party's Karnataka strategy after a series of scandals and scams have seriously dented its equity. Party chief Nitin Gadkari is in Bangalore for that meeting; he met Mr Yeddyurappa this morning, but has played down the crisis and also ruled out a change of guard in Karnataka.
The official reason given for cutting short the Bangalore meet is that BJP leaders have to campaign for byelections in Udipi and Chikmagalur. But sources say the second day of the meeting had been called off as Mr Yeddyurappa threatened to boycott it. In a show of strength, he had called a meeting at his residence yesterday and more than 50 MLAs of the ruling BJP turned up. Mr Yeddyurappa was the Chief Minister of Karnataka till September last year, when he was forced to resign after a Lokayukta report indicted him on illegal mining in the state.
Mr Yeddyurappa turns 69 on Monday, February 27, and is hosting a lunch party for all MLAs who still support him; that makes for a large guest list. And Mr Yeddyurappa has reportedly told his party that he would like to be back from political oblivion by that date - the CM's post or another senior party post is what he has reportedly sought.
This morning, Mr Yeddyurappa conveyed this to party chief Mr Gadkari, who, party sources said, has asked him to be patient. Some time later, the BJP meet was abruptly called off. Sources said Mr Yeddyurappa told the BJP president that he went to jail for 25 days for "no fault of mine". He also reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with current Chief Minister, DV Sadananda Gowda, the man Mr Yeddyurappa had insisted on handpicking for the post of CM when he was forced to quit. As he reluctantly resigned last year, Mr Yeddyurappa declared that he would be back soon, and is always said to have seen Mr Gowda's as a holding act till he is back.
Mr Gadkari feted Mr Yeddyurappa as a strong and popular leader of the BJP today, but stated emphatically that "there is no thought on leadership change in Karnataka...Sadananda Gowda will continue as CM." In a recent interview to NDTV, Mr Gadkari had said that while he was open to the idea of Mr Yeddyurappa making a comeback, it would only happen if a "competent court" cleared the former CM on corruption charges against him.
Today, the party chief said a meeting will be held in New Delhi on March 3 to address what he called "small issues." All senior Karnataka BJP leaders had been invited, he said.
Sources tell NDTV that one option before the BJP is to make Mr Yeddyurappa state party president, a move, the party fears, may make him a power centre.
Senior leader Arun Jaitley asserted today that there was no crisis in Karnataka, but the party will find it difficult to ignore Mr Yeddyurappa, who is a powerful Lingayat leader. He has spent the last few months consolidating support among state party leaders. In his bid to reclaim what he sees as rightfully his, he has also made up with rival Jagdish Shettar, the rural development and Panchayat Minister, who is also a strong Lingayat leader.
At Mr Yeddyurappa's residence yesterday, there were ministers present too as also state party president Eshwarappa. They are all expected to be at his birthday party on Monday.
Ram Das, Karnataka's Health Minister, sought to play down the hectic politicking. "Every year we go and wish Mr Yeddyurappa, we'll do that again this time," he said, adding that Mr Yeddyurappa "is no headache for the BJP as projected by media. He is only a big support." He also said that there was no "ultimatum", that Mr Yeddyurappa had only "expressed his feelings."
Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda, who interestingly was also there at his mentor's house for a short while yesterday, pointed to that and said, "Before I arrived in Mangalore, I attended the meeting called by Yeddyurappa in Bangalore. There is no confusion in the party...Don't devote importance to the lunch-gathering." Mr Gowda said he was the consensus candidate and "there is no move to replace me with other party legislator as the chief minister. My position as Chief Minister is safe."
Mr Yeddyurappa has overtly stated that he is a loyal soldier of the party and will not quit it. But at his meeting with the MLAs yesterday, he is reported to have exhorted his supporters to exert pressure on the party leadership to make him Chief Minister again, sources close to him said.
Watching from the ringside, the Congress says the BJP is running scared of Mr Yeddyurappa. Minister Rajiv Shukla said today, "The BJP high command is scared of Yeddyurappa. It has always been the case. The people who are suffering are the people of Karnataka.