BJP will do the right thing, says hopeful Yeddyurappa

New Delhi:  There are two men in Delhi who are determined to return to Karnataka as Chief Minister. Both have met their party president, Nitin Gadkari. "I am confident the BJP will do the right thing," said BS Yeddyurappa, one of the contenders. He made it clear what the correct thing would be. Referring to his forced resignation as Chief Minister in July on the basis of corruption charges, he said that a court last week had dismissed those charges.
The man he hand-picked to replace him, V Sadananda Gowda, was intended to serve as a seat-warmer, who would make way for his mentor once Mr Yeddyurappa extricated himself from a series of corruption cases.  The problem is Mr Gowda has had a change of heart, "The BJP high command has told me there is no leadership change at present in Karnataka," said Mr Gowda today, known for his infectious smile.
The party says that Mr Gadkari will consult with other senior leaders before taking a call.  

As part of his campaign, Mr Gowda met this morning with some of those leaders like LK Advani, Rajnath Singh, Murli Manohar Joshi.  

The BJP doesn't have very long to decide who will be its main man in Karnataka, where the party is in power for the first time. If it sides with Mr Yeddyurappa, it will lose all moral ground in its anti-corruption campaign. In Delhi, the party has been attacking the Congress for a series of scams. Mr Advani conducted a rath-yatra last year to highlight the need for clean governance, and to suggest that the BJP can provide that. Mr Yeddyurappa was cleared of some corruption charges by a court last week; but he has other cases pending against him for handing public land to his family at huge discounts. Last year, he spent nearly a month in jail.

But this week, Mr Yeddyurappa proved his might with any lack of restraint. A group of nearly 70 of the BJPs 110 MLAs in Karnataka showed their allegiance to him by moving into a five-star resort on the outskirts of Bangalore, which was once owned by actor Sanjay Khan and hosted the wedding of his daughter to actor Hrithik Roshan. They reported to work at the Karnataka Assembly only when Mr Yeddyurappa granted his sanction.

However, that didn't end the BJP's troubles in the state where it is running its first government. In a critical by-election yesterday, the BJP lost the Lok Sabha seat from Udipi-Chikmagalur - the former constituency of Mr Gowda. The defeat is a victory in disguise for Mr Yeddyurappa who chose not to campaign there, allegedly because his party had reservations about the corruption cases against him, and whether that would affect voters.

The dispute between the current and former Chief Minister has caste overtones as well. Mr Yeddyurappa, a Lingayat, chose a Vokkaliga to replace him. Both are dominant communities in the state - and the BJP is in a bind now in case they have alienated the Lingayat vote bank. Would one time Yeddyurappa foe turned ally, Jagadish Shettar, another Lingayat, be a potential Chief Ministerial choice that would satisfy Mr Yeddyurappa if he is given the chair himself? And how would the Vokkaliga community react to a Chief Minister from their community being dumped on the demands of the volatile Mr Yeddyurappa? Elections to the state Assembly are due in 2013.  

For NDTV Updates, follow us on Twitter or join us on Facebook

View the original article here

Yeddyurappa, chief minister-in-waiting, hopes for good news from BJP today

New Delhi:  When BS Yeddyurappa was forced by his party to quit as Karnataka's Chief Minister, he picked V Sadananda Gowda to replace him.  The understanding was that Mr Gowda would serve as a seat-warmer, who would make way for his mentor as soon as Mr Yeddyurappa extricated himself from a series of corruption cases. Mr Yeddyurappa now wants his office back, but Mr Gowda has had a change of heart.
So both the current chief minister and the chief minister-in-waiting are now in Delhi to meet with their party leaders and convince them about their right to the top job in Karnataka, where the BJP's first term in power has been mangled by bitter political in-fighting.
Mr Gowda has met this morning with his party's most senior leaders - LK Advani, Rajnath Singh, Murli Manohar Joshi and finally, BJP president Nitin Gadkari.  "We are also going to place in detail the political scenario that is happening in Karnataka and we seek immediate interference by the Centre to see that everything is set right," said Mr Gowda,  known for his infectious smile.  
Mr Yeddyurappa, meanwhile, is holding a series of meetings with his loyalists.

Last night, Mr Gowda said in Bangalore before taking a chartered plane to Delhi that he had been promised by Mr Gadkari that there would be no change in leadership in Karnataka. But the BJP's quandary is a large one. If it sides with Mr Yeddyurappa, it will lose all moral ground in its anti-corruption campaign.  In Delhi, the party has been attacking the Congress for a series of scams.  Mr Advani conducted a rath-yatra last year to highlight the need for clean governance, and to suggest that the BJP can provide that. Mr Yeddyurappa was cleared of some corruption charges by a court last week; but he has other cases pending against him for handing public land to his family at huge discounts.  Last year, he spent nearly a month in jail.
This week, Mr Yeddyurappa has proved his might aggressively to his party.  A group of nearly 70 of the BJPs MLAs showed their allegiance to him by moving into a five-star resort on the outskirts of Bangalore, which was once owned by actor Sanjay Khan and hosted the wedding of his daughter to actor Hrithik Roshan. On Tuesday, Mr Yeddyurappa's supporters refused to report to work at the Karnataka Assembly for the budget session. After negotiations on Tuesday night with the party's central leadership, Mr Yeddyurappa and his large team showed up in the Assembly on Wednesday. That meant that the current chief minister could present his budget without the embarrassing absence of most of his MLAs.
However, that didn't end the BJP's troubles in the state where it is running its first government. In a critical by-election yesterday, the BJP lost the Lok Sabha seat from Udipi-Chikmagalur - the former constituency of Mr Gowda. The defeat is a victory in disguise for Mr Yeddyurappa who chose not to campaign there, allegedly because his party had reservations about the corruption cases against him, and whether that would affect voters.

The dispute between the current and former Chief Minister has caste overtones as well. Mr Yeddyurappa, a Lingayat, chose a Vokkaliga to replace him. Both are dominant communities in the state - and the BJP is in a bind now in case they have alienated the Lingayat vote bank. Would one time Yeddyurappa foe turned ally, Jagadish Shettar, another Lingayat, be a potential Chief Ministerial choice that would satisfy Mr Yeddyurappa if he is given the chair himself? And how would the Vokkaliga community react to a Chief Minister from their community being dumped on the demands of the volatile Mr Yeddyurappa? Elections to the state Assembly are due in 2013.

For NDTV Updates, follow us on Twitter or join us on Facebook

View the original article here

Yeddyurappa shows some mercy to BJP, supporters will go to work today

New Delhi:  BS Yeddyurappa delivered a very embarrassing day on Tuesday for his party, the BJP, which runs the government in Karnataka. Less than half of the BJP's representatives attended the first day of the Budget session in the Karnataka assembly. Most stayed at a five-star resort on the outskirts of Bangalore. They are being hosted there by Mr Yeddyurappa who wants to be renamed chief minister.
However, negotiations with his party's central leadership seem to be working. Mr Yeddyurappa has reportedly promised that his camp will show up at work today, where DV Sadananda Gowda, the current chief minister, is scheduled to present the budget. Mr Gowda had been hand-picked by Mr Yeddyurappa in July last year when he was forced to quit office on corruption charges. Last week, a court dismissed those charges, triggering Mr Yeddyurappa's aggressive campaign to return to office.

Mr Yeddyurappa's camp has indicating that Mr Gowda will be allowed to present the budget,  but it is important that the party presents a united front in the Assembly. 

On Monday, BJP president Nitin Gadkari requested Mr Yeddyurappa to be patient and "not to do anything that will hurt the BJP." In addition to the rebel leader's ability to split the party, the dispute has caste overtones as well. Mr Yeddyurappa, a Lingayat, chose a Vokkaliga to replace him. Both are dominant communities in the state - and the BJP is in a bind now in case they have alienated the Lingayat vote bank. Would one time Yeddyurappa foe turned ally, Jagadish Shettar, another Lingayat, be a potential Chief Ministerial choice that would satisfy Yeddyurappa if he is given the chair himself? And how would the Vokkaliga community react to a Chief Minister from their community being dumped on the demands of the volatile Mr Yeddyurappa? Elections to the state assembly are due in 2013.

Mr Yeddyurappa's group, in a further act of defiance, even put forward a candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls, BJ Puttaswamy. Mr Puttaswamy was promptly suspended from the party for filing his nomination -and notices were issued to the 10 MLAs who nominated him.

For NDTV Updates, follow us on Twitter or join us on Facebook

View the original article here

Be patient, don't malign the party, says BJP to Yeddyurappa

Bangalore:  The BJP says that it is considering the demand made rather aggressively by BS Yeddurappa to be reinstated as Chief Minister of Karnataka. "We are a democratic party but we do not take decisions under pressure. We will come to the right decision and I would advise Mr Yeddyurappa to be patient and not do anything to malign the party," said the party president Nitin Gadkari today. Mr Yedyurappra earlier today allegedly rejected an offer to fly to Nagpur for peace talks.

Instead, the rebel leader is focussed on a five-star resort on the outskirts of Bangalore which has emerged as his centre of power. Here, 67 of the party's 120 MLAs are parked in a show of loyalty to Mr Yeddyurappa. Their camp is a clear message from Mr Yeddyurappra that unless he is reinstated as chief minister, the BJP could see a split in its Karnataka branch. 10 MPs from the BJP have also threatened to resign in support Mr Yeddyurappa.

Mr Yeddyurappa's group is demanding a legislature party meeting at which it can demonstrate its numbers. An additional pressure tactic lies in the fact that the dissidents are fielding their own candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections - Yeddyurappa loyalist B J Puttaswamy - in addition to the party's official candidates.

In July, Mr Yeddyurappa was forced by the BJP to quit office after a report on illegal mining indicted him for corruption. Last week, a court dismissed those charges. Mr Yeddyurappa says that's ground enough for his return to power.

But the man who was hand-picked by Mr Yeddyurappa as his successor, Sadananda Gowda, is reportedly unwilling to quit office. He said today that he is focussing on his job, and will respect whatever decision is taken by Mr Gadkari. One of the reasons why Mr Yeddyurappra has isolated his supporters at a hotel is to ensure the current chief minister cannot influence or woo them.

Mr Yeddyurappa and his family and he are accused of graft in other cases for buying land reserved for public use at bargain prices, allegedly made possible by Mr Yeddyurappa when he was chief minister. He was jailed in October last year for those cases and spent nearly a month in jail.

"After the HC order we are thinking about this. We are a democratic party but we do not take decisions under pressure. We will come to the right decision and I would advise Mr Yeddyurappa to be patient and not do anything to malign the party."

"Even earlier after the Lok Ayukta order we had replaced Yeddyurappa even though we had some reservations about it."

For NDTV Updates, follow us on Twitter or join us on Facebook

View the original article here