BENGALURU: Around 50 MLAs from the BJP have signed a letter, addressed to the top leadership of the party, urging them to reign in party legislator Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, who has been criticising the State Government and Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s style of functioning over the last several months. The campaign that started on Tuesday morning has already collected over 50 signatures. An MLA, who is behind the move and wished not to be identified, told The New Indian Express that ministers are not being made part of the campaign, while several MLAs, who are touring Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry and other places, where there are elections, are yet to sign the letter.
He said that they will take the complaint to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda and press for action against Yatnal. To begin with, they will meet state party president Nalin Kumar Kateel, they added.
A group of these disgruntled MLAs met the chief minister at his official residence Cauvery on Monday evening. They discussed lack of funds for their constituencies with the chief minister, and also spoke of Yatnal’s rebellion. Yediyurappa told them that he will convene a meeting of ministers, officials and party MLAs at his residence on March 25 where all issues will be discussed.
Asked if party functionaries too would attend the meeting, one of the MLAs said that they cannot be present as it will then become a party event and officials will have to absent themselves.