BANGALORE: After making several unsuccessful bids to return to power, former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa is now readying for a decisive battle to get his share or bid an adieu to the BJP with which he has been associated for over four decades.
Panicked by his detractors’ ploy to belittle him in the eyes of his own community, an embattled Yeddyurappa has convened a meeting of his supporters on February 23. He is expected to decide whether to stay put in the BJP or part ways with it after feedback from MLAs.
Gadkari will be in Bangalore on February 24 and 25 to attend the Chintan Baithak to be attended by party MLAs.
Though Yeddyurappa has given enough hints about his next move to the MLAs, whom he had personally invited for the meeting, the final decision, however, depends on the numbers at the luncheon meeting.
“If over 50 MLAs attend the meeting, then it is certain that Yeddyurappa will sound the bugle. If the numbers are less, then he will have to either wait for the right time or take a final call. We don’t know what is in his mind... we think he will wait,” said an MLA who was invited for the meeting. The Yeddyurappa camp’s current plan is to demand Gadkari to define the former CM’s role in the party besides publicising it.
According to sources, Yeddyurappa was unable to digest the move of his detractors to dilute his hold on the Lingayat community and was seeing it as an effort to finish him off politically.
It was evident on Tuesday when he directly accused his own partymen of trying to divide Lingayats for their gains. “A conspiracy is being hatched to divide Lingayats. Several Swamijis have confirmed this to me. Also, one can make out this by the statements of a few leaders. But it is impossible to divide the community,” the former CM said sans dropping any names. Yeddyurappa’s followers are also feeling the pinch of the united efforts of their rivals. “Now that his very political existence is in question, he has no option but to take a call,” said a staunch supporter of his.
Prior to the MLAs’ meeting, Yeddyurappa has also convened a meeting of prominent leaders of backward classes on February 22.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Yeddyurappa solicited the cooperation of all BJP MLAs from Bangalore. “We need to end the ongoing crisis and I want your support. Let us all meet Gadkari and apprise him about the developments,” Yeddyurappa is said to have told the MLAs.