Karnataka power struggle hits BJP 'morality session'

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The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka was Friday forced to cut short its brainstorming session to teach morality and discipline to its ministers and legislators in the wake of a sharpening power struggle in the state unit.

The two-day 'chintan-manthan' was called following the involvement of three ministers - Laxman Savadi, C.C. Patil and J. Krishna Palemar - in porn viewing in the assembly Feb 7. The three quit the cabinet the next day.

But the meet was cut short by one day. The reason given for ending the session Friday itself was that party chief Nitin Gadkari had to go back to Uttar Pradesh for the election campaign.

The party was aware that campaigning in that state had peaked when it announced the chintan-manthan.

But it failed to anticipate the possibility of its first chief minister in the state, B.S. Yeddyurappa, smarting after he was forced to quit in July last year over corruption charges, seizing the opportunity of Gadkari's visit to press for his reinstatement or for a top position in the state unit.

With Yeddyurappa and his supporters indicating they will walk out of the 'chintan-manthan' after Gadkari's address, the party said the meet will be a one-day affair.

In fact it will turn out to be half-day affair as not many of the ministers, legislators and party functionaries attending it as the focus is on Yeddyurappa's next move.

Yeddyurappa was grim-faced at the meet as Gadkari reportedly rejected his demand for immediate reinstatement as chief minister.

The two met for about 20 minutes at a hotel in the city centre ahead of the chintan-manthan session at a resort on Bangalore's outskirts.

In New Delhi, party senior leader Arun Jaitley denied there was any problem in the Karnataka unit. He said Yeddyurappa was not creating any problem for the party.

Yeddyurappa supporters, however, continue to claim in Bangalore that their leader has set the Feb 27 deadline for the party central leaders to decide on his demand or he will announce his plan of action on that day, which is also his 70th birthday.