
NEW DELHI: B S Yeddyurappa kept meeting his party leaders throughout Tuesday, towards the end of which it looked the embattled Karnataka chief minister was likely to get a breather — as of now. The eventual outcome of the talks, said BJP president Nitin Gadkari who also held a midnight meet with BSY, would be declared before Parliament convenes on Wednesday.
“I have completed discussions with all the leaders.
The final decision on Yeddyurappa will be announced tomorrow at 11 am,” Gadkari on Tuesday night, after a closed-door conclave with senior leader Arun Jaitley.
The two-hour meet was also attended by Bal Apte, RSS pointsman in the party.
Despite a faction of BJP leadership and the RSS opposing Yeddyu rappa’s continuance, three factors seemed to work in favour of the scandalscarred BSY: a) pro-CM lobbying by certain Karnataka MPs and ministers camping in the capital, b) a possible dim performance by the party in next month’s civicbody polls if there is a change of guard and, c) the argument that the top brass should wait till the result of a judicial probe into the land scam allegedly involving Yeddyurappa and his family.
A BJP Parliamentary Party meet saw Karnataka MPs raising the issue of the state’s instability, forcing party veteran L K Advani to invite the MPs to his residence. Three BSY loyalists met Advani to explain to him how his continuance was “essential” to strengthen the party in the State. “No MLA has not revolted.
Neither has the law and order in the State broken down,” said Suresh Angadi, MP.
That the BJP is nervous was clear as some BJP leaders conceded BSY enjoyed the support of Lingayats and Brahmins. Party spokesperson Tarun Vijay repeated that the Congress was pressing for Yeddyurappa’s removal “to divert attention from the raging corruption issues”. The CM said, “I have not committed any mistake...so far no body has asked my resignation.”