BSY placates BJP leadership

 The chief minister on Wednesday clarified to the party central leadership that he had no grouse against any of them and avowed his loyalty to the senior leaders.

Summoned by the party high command to seek an explanation over complaints that he allegedly made certain comments against Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, the chief minister, who rushed to Delhi on Tuesday,  closeted with her for over one hour on Wednesday.

He was said to have feigned innocence over the alleged utterances. Asserting that he made no comments against Swaraj or any other BJP leader, he told her that he held all of them in high esteem.

Swaraj was said to have been upset over remarks attributed to Yeddyurappa who allegedly took exception to her supposed backing to the Reddy brothers and Ananth Kumar.

Taking serious note of this, the party high command asked the chief minister to rush to Delhi and explain his side of the story personally to Swaraj. During meeting with Sushma, which took place in Parliament House, Yeddyurappa was understood to have told her that he was at a loss to explain how such stories were being spread about him.

BJP MPs from Karnataka, including Sadanand Gowda and DB Chandregowda, had tried to pacify Swaraj on Tuesday. However, Yeddyurappa had to come here personally to discuss the issue.

The chief minister met senior party leaders L K Advani, Rajnath Singh, and Murali Manohar Joshi and discussed developments in the state.

He also had a breakfast meeting with the party MPs from the State. Ananth Kumar and Bijapur MP Ramesh Jigajinagi stayed away from the meeting. Though Jigajinagi had Tuesday announced that he would skip the meeting, the reason for Ananth Kumar’s absence was not known.

Yeddyurappa said he has directed the chief secretary to confiscate large tracts of government land in Hassan and Ramnagar districts allegedly grabbed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda’s family.