Bengaluru, Jan. 21: Angry BJP leaders announced protests across the state on Saturday as the Chief Minister, Mr B.S. Yeddyurappa, hunkered down his aides to decide on his strategy even as unconfirmed reports indicated that while the BJP’s central leaders backed the Chief Minister, the party was also gearing up to use Governor’s move to embarrass the scam ridden UPA government at the Centre.
The state unit chief, Mr K. S. Eshwarappa, charged that Raj Bhavan had become the “political office” of the JD(S) and Congress, calling it the new “Congress Bhavan”.
In a sign that the party realised it could not keep the war going forever, either in the courts or on the streets, Mr Dharmendra Pradhan, the general secretary of the party in charge of Karnataka, ruled out any change in the leadership, as other sources said the senior leaders of the party in New Delhi are contemplating his replacement with another Lingayat leader, most probably the rural development minister, Mr Jagadish Shettar, or the higher education minister and senior most legislator, Mr V.S. Acharya.
Speculation was rife that Mr Bhardwaj could also recommend the House be placed in suspended animation and not merely institute a change in leadership of the BJP legislature party.
Sources close to the Chief Minister said that Mr Yeddyurappa is likely to file a petition challenging the procedure adopted by the governor, Mr H.R. Bharadwaj to grant sanction for prosecution in the High Court on Saturday.