The state BJP unit is “upset” with some leaders who met Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and urged him to put pressure on BJP national leaders to take back former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa into the party fold.
Party sources told Express that this kind of indiscipline has been brought to the notice of BJP national president Rajnath Singh.
Sources said Rajnath has been requested to instruct such leaders not to take extra interest on the Yeddyurappa issue.
“We did not know why there is so much of hurry to bring back Yeddyurappa without giving the national leaders time to ponder over it. By doing so, they are creating an impression that the BJP is solely depending on Yeddyurappa,” the sources added.
They said it was unbecoming on part of those leaders to exert pressure on the party high command without understanding the procedure.
BJP national general secretary Thawar Chand Gehlot had already visited Karnataka to take state leaders’ opinion on bringing back Yeddyurappa into the BJP. Now, the ball is in the court of central leadership, sources added.
They said that bypassing Rajnath and meeting Modi over the issue would send a wrong signal that all is not well in the BJP.
“Yeddyurappa quit the party on his own. It will take sometime for the parliamentary board to meet and decide whether to take him back into the party or not,” they added.
Sources said Yeddyurappa was reportedly not happy with former Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda taking initiative to bring him back to the BJP. He has an impression that Gowda ditched him when he became the Chief Minister and did not consult him before taking decisions on major issues.
When contacted, state BJP president Prahlad Joshi clarified that no leader had consulted him before meeting Modi in Ahmedabad. However, Joshi declined to comment whether Rajnath was upset with the attitude of the leaders who were going all out to woo Yeddyurappa.