Will take appropriate action at right time: BJP on Karnataka scene

The BJP central leadership today maintained that it is watching the political developments in Karnataka, where its former leader B S Yeddyurappa has floated his own party, and would take appropriate action at the right time.

Asked about Yeddyurappa's new party and some of the BJP MLAs and MPs openly expressing their support to him, BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "We are keeping an eye on the entire political developments in Karnataka. Leave it to the BJP to deal with the situation."

BJP top leaders are likely to meet soon to discuss the situation in the southern state where the party formed its first government with Yeddyurappa as chief minister.

Yeddyurappa has been challenging the BJP to take action against the MLAs and MPs supporting him. He has also dared the BJP to dissolve the Karnataka Assembly.

Though Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar has suspended Tumkur MP G S Basavraj and sacked Cooperative Minister B J Puttuswamy for supporting Yeddyurappa, the party is not keen on taking action against too many of its leaders.

"We do not want to open a Pandora's Box by suspending every other BJP leader supporting Yeddyurappa," a BJP leader said.

Twenty-one BJP MLAs had attended the programme in which Yeddyurappa launched his Karnataka Janata Party. Yeddyurappa has challenged the BJP to take action against them.

BJP leaders are confident Yeddyurappa will not withdraw support to the Shettar government. They maintain that he would not like to be seen as pulling down a BJP government.

The Central leaders maintain that the party will adopt a wait and watch attitude and see how the situation develops in Karnataka. The party leaders, however, accept that Yeddyurappa's new outfit will harm their prospects and eat into the BJP vote bank.