BANGALORE: Karnataka BJP strongman B S Yeddyurappa today hosted a breakfast meeting for party legislators and ministers, fuelling speculation that he was rebuilding pressure on central leadership to reinstate him as Chief Minister.
The meeting at Yeddyurappa's residence, skipped by Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda and BJP state unit chief K S Eshwarappa, was claimed to have been attended by more than 70 MLAs and 18 MLCs.
Yeddyurappa, who recently staged a show of strength by mobilising about 70 MLAs at a resort before calling a truce at the central leadership's intervention, maintained no political discussions were held at the meeting on the last day of the assembly budget session.
"The budget session ended today and all legislators will go to their assembly constituencies.We will only meet again in next three months. The media should not give political colour to the breakfast meet," he told reporters here.
Yeddurappa said Gowda and Eshwarappa could not attend the meet as they were preoccupied.
Asked if he was optimistic about the high command solving the leadership issue within a week, he said he does not expect anything and the decision is left to them."I will abide by whatever decision the central leadership takes," he said.
Water Resources Minister Basavaraj Bommai, a staunch Yeddyurappa loyalist, also said no political discussions were held during the breakfast meeting.
Asked whether Yeddyurappa's supporters still hoped he would again become Chief Minister, Bommai said he would not comment on it as it has already been placed before the central leadership, which would take a suitable decision.
To a query, Bommai said no deadlines have been set for Yeddyurappa's return as Chief Minister.
Asked if the probe by the Central Empowered Committee appointed by the Supreme Court to look into illegal mining would be a stumbling block for Yeddyurappa's return, Bommai said it is a court matter and lawyers are taking care of it.
Yeddyurappa had quit as Chief Minister in July last year after he was indicted by the Lokayukta report on illegal mining.