BENGALURU: “For now, I have been given the responsibility and I will work unitedly with everybody. For now, there is no confusion. National leaders have asked me to continue as Chief Minister and strengthen the party. It is our duty to do what they ask us to do,” said Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, speaking to reporters in Bengaluru after his two-day New Delhi trip.
The last 48 hours have been extremely action-packed and have kept the 78-year-old chief minister, his supporters as well as his baiters on their toes. Even as he vehemently denied reports of his resignation, Yediyurappa resigned to the fate to be decided by the party central leadership, reiterating that he has been asked to continue as chief minister ‘for now’.
“Not at all. Not at all. Not at all,” he said on Saturday morning when reports of his alleged resignation started surfacing. By Saturday evening, his pushback had lost some of its steam. Earlier in the day, he made back-to-back trips to meet BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda, Defence Minister and a close confidante Rajnath Singh and finally Home Minister Amit Shah. Every time he spoke to the media, he denied reports of his resignation. “All the meetings were fruitful. All our leaders expressed their desire for BJP to return to power in the State with more seats. I am committed to ensuring that. I have assured that we will work together to build the party,” Yediyurappa said.
His stance is in line with the party’s “amicable exit” strategy. In May this year The New Sunday Express had reported on how the BJP’s Central leadership was looking for a smooth transition of power in Karnataka and Yediyurappa seems to have finally gotten on board with the plan.
While Yediyurappa’s supporters insisted that he is here to stay and rumours of his resignation are untrue, the silence on the matter by the party Central leadership has emboldened other factions within the party. Party sources suggested that Yediyurappa’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the last round of talks before making the shift in leadership official. They said that while Yediyurappa will be allowed to complete two years in office, he is set to cite his health as a reason to step down from the post and that he has also agreed to help the Central leadership find a replacement.
‘Will work for BJP in next polls’
Yediyurappa is also said to have assured the central leadership of his support in the upcoming polls so the party’s vote share does not take a beating. From change of Governor to elevation of four MPs from the State as Ministers in the Union Council, all moves have been stepping stones leading to the shift in leadership.
While sources suggested that Yedyurappa has been assured of his sons’ safe future in the party and a Governor’s post (most probably of Andhra), if he is willing to take it, he repeatedly told the media he would work for the party in the next Assembly and Lok Sabha polls.
He has called for a meeting of BJP legislators on July 26 when he completes two years in office. “So far, no talk of alternative leaders. I have reiterated there is no dearth of leadership in BJP,” he said, hinting that while he will continue as CM for now, an alternate leader is in the making.