I’ll quit the moment party asks me to: CM
Minutes after B S Yeddyurappa walked out of Parappana Agrahara Central Jail, Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda on Tuesday said he would step down if the party central leadership desired so.
“I will not continue as the chief minister even for a second if the party high command asks me to step down,” he told mediapersons.
When his comments were sought on State BJP president K S Eshwarappa’s reported statement that Yeddyurappa will be the next chief minister if he gets a clean chit from the court in alleged corruption cases, Gowda said: “There is no competition for the CM post. The party high command will decide who is the fit for that post.”
“I have not read Eshwarappa’s statement. But in a national party like the BJP, the high command is supreme,” he said. “I became the CM without lobbying for it. If the party wants me to step down, I am ready to do so any moment.”
“I am a disciplined party worker. I became the party State unit president without lobbying for it and served effectively for four years,” he said.
Welcoming the Karnataka High Court decision to grant bail to Yeddyurappa, Gowda said it would boost the party morale and help strengthen its base further. He said he would meet Yeddyurappa in a day or two.
Gowda said he would extend all support to the former chief minister in his efforts to strengthen the party.
On the issue of the BJP fielding former health minister Sriramulu for the Bellary bypoll, the chief minister said it was up to Sriramulu to decide whether to seek a party ticket or not. If he decides to contest as an Independent, then the BJP will field its candidate, he said.
