It is a catch-22 situation for both former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and ministers loyal to him now.
While Yeddyurappa who is planning to launch his new party, Karnataka Janata Party (KJP), at Haveri on December 10 wants all ministers loyal to him to be present in the programme, they are in a dilemma whether to do so while being ministers in the Jagadish Shettar Cabinet.
According to sources, Yeddyurappa not only wants the ministers to be present in his programme but also wants them to continue as ministers till the next Assembly elections, as he does not want to be accused of toppling the government headed by a Lingayat (Shettar).
If his ministers resign, then automatically the government will plunge into a crisis, which might even topple it.
“This apart, the continuation of his loyalists in the ministry will also help him in mobilising resources,” a source said.
But the ministers want to resign before sharing the dais with Yeddyurappa, if at all they want to go with him.
For, they think attending the programme of another political party as ministers in the BJP government is not ethical.
They also feel that it would evoke a backlash during the elections.
“No voter will believe us if we work for the KJP while being ministers in the BJP government,” said a senior minister from North Karnataka.
Around seven ministers of Yeddyurappa camp met in PWD Minister C M Udasi’s residence on Friday and discussed their future course of action.
“We all are with him, but at the moment we have not taken any decision to quit the party and join the Yeddyurappa bandwagon,” the minister said after the meeting.
Besides Udasi, Ministers Basavaraj Bommai, Umesh V Katti, Murugesh R Nirani, V Somanna, Narasimha Naik and M P Renukacharya were present in the meeting.
In order to buy time, they have reportedly decided to ask Yeddyurappa to postpone his party launch till February or March, as the Shettar government would almost be completing its term by then.
These ministers are also not happy with Yeddyurappa’s unilateral announcement of the date of his party launch.
CM visits Yeddyurappa
CM Jagadish Shettar and Deputy Chief Minister R Ashok met B S Yeddyurappa at his son B Y Vijayendra’s residence late on Friday.
According to sources, both Shettar and Ashok requested Yeddyurappa not to leave the BJP as it will neither benefit the party nor him.
However, Yeddyurappa is keen on floating his own party by December 10, sources added.