BENGALURU: Soon after he took over as Chief Minister, BS Yediyurappa would take frequent flights to the national capital to consult his party leaders on various issues, from government formation to funds for flood relief. Yediyurappa, however, has not visited New Delhi in nearly two months. In fact, the CM himself stated that these days, he is not visiting New Delhi.
Sources in the BJP said that Yediyurappa, who completed 100 days in office on November 2, was working overtime to ensure that his government was not found wanting in flood relief work, even as he was tackling political challenges from within and outside the party. Besides, BJP central leaders were preoccupied with a number of pressing issues, including government formation in Maharashtra and Haryana.
From August 2019 to September 2019, Yediyurappa would often hop over to Delhi, to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and other cabinet ministers for various reasons. He had last visited Delhi in the third week of September, where he had met Shah to seek Rs 2,000 crore for
flood relief work.
“Yediyurappa might go to New Delhi after the Supreme Court delivers its order on disqualified MLAs, and if byelections are held, he has to go to Delhi to finalise the candidates,” said a senior BJP leader. “He is busy with a lot of work, especially flood relief. There is no need for him to visit New Delhi,” he added.
Some senior party leaders were expecting the CM to visit the national capital, after a video clip, reportedly of his speech at a party meeting in Hubballi, went viral. When the Congress took the video clip to the Apex Court, some leaders in the BJP were expecting Yediyurappa to meet central leaders. “He has not even mentioned a Delhi visit in many days,” said a senior leader.
The BJP state unit and central ministers strongly backed the chief minister on the alleged video controversy and accused the Congress of trying to create confusion. The Congress claimed that the CM had admitted that BJP central leaders had played a role in the rebel MLAs’ resignations.
Sources in the BJP said that after the Maharashtra and Haryana elections, Yediyurappa’s position within the party has further strengthened, as the results re-emphasised the need for strong regional leaders, who can supplement central leaders’ efforts during elections.