JOIN USB S Yeddyurappa said on Tuesday that he had committed a blunder by resigning as chief minister last July after the Lokayukta indicted him in its report on illegal mining.
“I had the support of a majority of the MLAs who did not want me to resign. But I abided by the wishes of my central leaders and resigned. I should have dissolved the Assembly then,” Yeddyurappa said, days ahead of the formal launch of his new political outfit, the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) on December 9.
In an interaction with reporters, Yeddyurappa said he soon committed another mistake by not going ahead with his plans to quit the BJP and launch a new party at a convention in Hubli in March, organised as part of his 70th birthday celebrations.
“Once again, I was betrayed by the BJP top brass who made me drop the plans by making false promises,” Yeddyurappa said and added that he would not make commit such “mistakes” again.
Yeddyurappa reiterated that his association with the BJP was a closed chapter and he was planning to resign from the primary membership of the party and as MLA by November-end, instead of December 9.
“I want to put an end to all speculations that I will not quit the BJP,” he said.
Yeddyurappa said he did meet senior party leader Arun Jaitley on Saturday night and had refused to remain in the BJP.
He challenged BJP MP H N AnanthKumar to take up the responsibility of making the party win the next Assembly elections. “Let him lead the party and let him also take the credit of making the party win,” he said.
Former MLA and JD(U) leader J C Madhuswamy met Yeddyurappa on Tuesday and expressed his wish to join the KJP. “It is our aim to make Yeddyurappa the chief minister again. I will formally join the KJP soon,” Madhuswamy told reporters.