Pressure mounting on BJP to replace Yeddyurappa

A section of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP is said to have urged the party central leadership to replace Yeddyurappa. According to sources, Suresh Soni, the RSS incharge of the BJP, has held discussions with party president Nitin Gadkari about Yeddyurappa’s role in the scam. The BJP core committee may meet here to discuss about the Karnataka situation on Thursday.

Shaken by the documents released by the Opposition showing  Yeddyurappa favouring his family in the allocation of land, the BJP high command is said to be monitoring the developments closely.

The development comes at an opportune time for a section within the BJP that is using the land scam to seek Yeddyurappa’s ouster. “We have taken a moral high ground seeking resignation of A Raja and Ashok Chavan for their alleged involvement in the spectrum scam and Adarsh society scam. Now, when documents are being brought out to show favouritism and nepotism by one of our chief ministers, how can we keep quiet?” a senior BJP leader told Deccan Herald.

“We are a big party and Karnataka is a big state. We have to take a stand on the Karnataka land scandal as we are sure this issue will be raised by the Congress and other parties in Parliament on Thursday. We should be prepared for an answer”, this leader added. Gadkari got the documents from the chief minister’s office which are being examined, BJP sources said.  The party chief was of the initial opinion that nothing illegal was done by Yeddyurappa. However, Yeddyurappa does not have much backing in the party high command.

Several senior leaders are ranged against him and this may prove to be to the chief minister’s disadvantage. An indication to this effect was given by Karnataka MP and party senior leader Venkaiah Naidu who refused to back a beleaguered Yeddyurappa. Asked about the demand for resignation of Yeddyurappa, Naidu on Wednesday said: “For this, you please ask our spokesman. If there is any change he will inform, I am not handling all these issues”.

Naidu said the issue should be debated and the Congress was right in this. However, he added that Parliament was not the forum and it should be discussed in the state. “The Karnataka government is duty bound to give a reply”. 

When pointed out that the Adarsh scandal was also a state issue, he said it involved the Army and the government has ordered a CBI inquiry. 

Meanwhile, Yeddyurappa’s supporters on Wednesday complained to central party leadership against senior leader H N Ananth Kumar accusing him of inciting rebellion.
Yeddyurappa’s supporters, who met Gadkari and Arun Jaitley, also sought the immediate intervention of the central leadership in putting a full stop to Kumar’s alleged anti-Yeddyurappa activities. The supporters told the leaders about Kumar’s alleged attempts to get Yeddyurappa removed. The development came amid reports that Kumar had been inciting some party MLAs against the CM. The reports also suggested that Kumar was getting support  from Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj to replace Yeddyurappa with State Rural Development and Panchatai Raj Minister Jagadish Shettar.