In a desperate attempt to stop former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa from parting ways with the BJP, Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar and senior leaders of the ruling party are rushing to New Delhi to request top leaders to step in and prevent the Lingayat strongman from quitting the party.
Mr Jagadish Shettar, state unit president K.S. Eshwarappa, former chief minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda, deputy chief minister R. Ashok and organising secretary Santhosh would meet central leaders in Delhi on Tuesday and appeal to them to make peace with Mr Yeddyurappa.
The chief minister and others decided to seek the intervention of leaders in Delhi after an unsuccessful attempt at convincing the former chief minister to remain in the party on Friday night.
“Our central leaders had assured to intervene, so we will request them to do their best and prevent Mr Yeddyurappa from launching a new party. The state unit has absolutely no issue if central leaders offer any position to the former chief minister, including those of the state unit president and the chief minister post,” a senior leader told this newspaper.
The leader said the state was caught off guard when the former chief minister even announced the date and venue of the new outfit. “Initially we did not him when he threatened to quit the BJP and launch his own party. We were under impression that Mr Yeddyurappa was indulging in pressure tactics to secure a position in the party. Now that he has announced the date of launch of the new party, we realised that such a move will cost us dearly in elections to the Legislative Assembly in 2013. At the same time, it will also impact the prospects of the new party,” the leader added.
The leader said though ministers and legislators loyal to the former chief minister were in a dilemma to remain in BJP or join the new party, the state unit was making all efforts to retain the Lingayat strongman in the party.
In fact, some leaders of the state unit have approached RSS leaders and pontiffs of Lingayat maths in this regard, the leader added.