Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa arrived in New Delhi late Friday evening to face the biggest test of his 30-year political career as the storm over his land scams threaten his continuance in office.
Reportedly carrying a resignation letter in his pocket, he faced top leaders of the BJP who are deeply angered by his illegal acquisition of land — which has given the Congress the perfect tool to beat back the BJP as it mounts a campaign against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the 2G spectrum scandal.
Mr Yeddyurappa, who began the day by instructing his family to return the plots of land they had acquired after he took office as deputy chief minister and then chief minister in 2008, drove straight to BJP president Nitin Gadkari’s Ferozeshah Road house in New Delhi, armed with a three-pronged strategy to help save him from an ignominious sacking.
Besides Mr Gadkari and the chief minister, Mr Arjun Jaitley, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and BJP general secretary Ananth Kumar were present. Senior leader L.K. Advani, who was due to attend, was in Mumbai.
Sources said while a section of leaders led by Mr Ananth Kumar favoured a change of guard, the BJP president was unwilling to axe him at this juncture.
The faction backing Mr Yeddyurappa feels the Opposition in the state, including the Congress and JD(S), will gain political advantage if Mr Yeddyurappa has to go under pressure. They also feel “there is no alternative” to him at present. But others argue that retaining him as CM will take the sting out of their relentless attack on the UPA over the 2G spectrum scam.
The names of Lingayat leader Jagdish Shettar and of Mr Ananth Kumar are being suggested as replacements by the BJP dissidents.
The beleagured chief minister tried to put a brave face as he arrived in New Delhi. When asked about the Opposition demand for his ouster, he retorted: “Who are they to force me to resign?” The chief minister claimed the Opposition was “disappointed” with him because “the development work is going on a rapid pace in the state.” He said his political rivals were “afraid that in another 10 to 15 years they would be remain as Opposition only”.
In Bengaluru on Friday morning, Mr Yeddyurappa moved swiftly to divest himself of all the land he and his family had “illegally” acquired since he was deputy chief minister in the H.D. Kumaraswamy government and when he himself became chief minister in May 2008. His youngest son B.Y. Raghavendra, Shimoga MP, on Friday surrendered a 50x80 ft site allotted to him in upmarket R.M.V. Extension. Similarly, B.S. Premamma, the chief minister’s sister, surrendered her 50x80 ft site in H.S.R. Layout, while his nephew S.C. Ashok gave up his 40x60 ft site in Chandra Layout as did Mr Yeddyurappa’s daughter Umadevi, who returned her site 50x80 near R.M.V. Extension.
Similarly, Fluid Power Technology Company, owned by the chief minister’s sons, Raghavendra and Vijayendra, returned two acres to the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board. Umadevi, too, requested the authorities to withdraw two acres of industrial land allotted to Candor Company near Harohalli and another two acres sanctioned near Harohalli to Ficom Engineering, both firms being owned by her.
Sources in Bengaluru said the embattled leader was banking on the success of populist schemes benefiting schoolgirls and women and his “development projects”. He also set forth the involvement of some other CM aspirants in similar land scams as well as their role in colluding with the Opposition to make documentary evidence public and ensuring that they reach the media even in New Delhi.
The CM’s critics said he was using the same tactics to discredit contenders for his job. This was evident from the fact that documents on industrial land allotted to the kin of rural development and panchayat raj minister Jagadish Shettar, a front-runner among aspirants, was leaked to the
media soon after the minister’s departure for New Delhi to attend the central core committee meeting.
With almost all the CM aspirants involved of one damaging
scam or the other, Mr Yeddyurappa is hoping he has won half the battle. Sources said prior to his departure, he also sent a message to some central leaders that the party’s gamble to replace him on the eve of local body — zilla and taluk panchayats — polls would only boomerang as the Lingayats would return to the fold of the Congress and Janata Dal (S). The heads of several Lingayat maths had sent a similar message to the leaders in New Delhi, the sources added.
Unconfirmed reports indicated that when the last crisis had threatened to engulf him, Mr Yeddyurappa had offered to step down after presenting the next Budget in February-March 2011. He may once again ask for time until then.