The state BJP unit is said to be upset over former CM B S Yeddyurappa's move on fielding his party candidates in the coming Lok Sabha elections without giving time to BJP national leaders to ponder over the issue of his comeback.
A senior BJP leader, on condition of anonymity, told Express that Yeddyurappa was trying to ‘blackmail’ the BJP by threatening to go it alone and to field KJP candidates in more than 10 LS constituencies. It was KJP state president Yeddyurappa, who was in a hurry to return to the BJP. He cannot pressurise BJP national leaders to take up his case on priority, the source said.
“It has already been made clear to the party Central leadership that the state unit does not have any objection in bringing back Yeddyurappa into the party fold. The party national leaders are seized of the matter and the issue need to be debated and deliberated at the BJP parliamentary board meeting. There are certain contentious issues that needs to be sorted out at the national level. It has to think pros and cons before bringing Yeddyurappa back into the party fold,” the source said.
The source said that leaders were busy preparing for the Assembly elections in five states as the Election Commission is expected to announce the calendar of events. As far as the BJP was concerned, its first priority was to win the coming Assembly polls rather than Yeddyurappa’s reentry into the BJP.
BJP national general secretary and in-charge of Karnataka, Thawar Chand Gehlot, had made it clear that the party central leadership were seized of the matter and it would take some time to take a decision. “The parliamentary board may decide on Yeddyurappa issue only after the Assembly polls,” he said.
One of the major problems being faced by BJP leaders had been taking back BSY's supporters — Shobha Karandlaje, M P Renukacharya, Hartal Halappa — following strong opposition within the BJP. A majority of BJP leaders do not want to have them in the party as they were responsible for tarnishing the party's image during the Karnataka Assembly polls. “We have not forgotten what statements they made against our state leaders. What will happen to our party's image if they (BSY followers) come back?” the source said. State BJP president Prahlad Joshi said no state BJP leader has opposed BSY’s reentry into the BJP. However, it is for the national leaders to decide.