Former chief minister Jagadish Shettar rubbished reports of the BJP sending feelers to cajole former CM and KJP president B S Yeddyurappa to return to the party.
Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, Shettar said: “There is no plan to bring back Yeddyurappa into the BJP fold. Our party did not send anybody to meet and convince Yeddyurappa to come back to the BJP. There has to be reciprocation from both the parties for any proposal to materialise. No BJP leader has favoured or demanded Yeddyurappa’s re-entry into our party.”
Shettar said the division of votes cost heavy to the party in the recently held Assembly polls. “While the BJP cut the votes of the KJP in many constituencies, the KJP took away the traditional votes of the BJP in a few Assembly constituencies. This division of votes benefited the Congress. Now, BJP workers have come out of the shock and gearing up for the Lok Sabha polls. We are confident of winning more seats than the Congress,” he claimed.
The former CM warned that people would not allow the ruling MLAs or ministers to enter their taluks, if the Congress government dumps the previous government’s decision of forming new taluks. “The BJP government did it for decentralisation of power and not for political gains. Carving out new taluks had been recommended by four committees and it was not a sudden decision of the previous government,” he warned. He said that he had released Rs 86 crore to do ground works for the creation of new taluks. Commenting on CM Siddaramaiah’s style of functioning, Shettar said he looks he is in a great hurry for some reason. “The CM has been taking decisions without knowing its implications,” he added.