Warring leaders pat each other

State BJP President K S Eshwarappa, National General Secretary Ananth Kumar and Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Jagadish Shettar, who only last week had led a rebellion against Yeddyurappa, attended the meet, urging party workers to ensure defeat of Congress and JD(S) in the bypolls.

Three assembly constituencies - Channapatna, Jagalur and Bangarpet - are going for by-elections on April 9.

The leaders showered praises on each other. While Eshwarappa was all praise for Yeddyurappa’s for taking the State on “the path of development”, the latter showed accolades on the former for discharging his duties as party president effectively. Not to be left behind Ananth Kumar also joined in patting the back of the chief minister.

The party central leadership’s direction to the State unit that they should work unitedly in the run up to the by-polls was being followed in letter and spirit, at least for public consumption.

Yeddyurappa dismissed the talk of differences in the party. “If there are any differences, it is in your parties,” he told the Opposition, which has been carrying on a sustained campaign for his removal on corruption and nepotism charges.
Yeddyurappa was also bitter with the media for painting BJP as a dissidence-ridden unit in the State.

“Distorted versions are appearing in the media. I was delayed in coming here as I had to attend an official function. Tomorrow, the reports would appear that the CM arrived late and ignored Ananth Kumar. This is not right”, he said.

He also said the Opposition had no moral right to criticise defection of its MLAs to the BJP. “What did they do for our MLAs, who are now fighting their case before the Supreme Court? Who ferried them to Chennai and Goa and now making them go around streets like destitutes,” Yeddyurappa asked.

He predicted that the Lok Sabha would be dissolved soon after the Assembly polls in four states and Pondicherry.

Yeddyurappa also asked party workers to gear up for by-polls to the 16 constituencies in the State, which have fallen vacant, following the disqualification of legislators so that those who betrayed the party should not get a chance to win.

Ananth Kumar said the Congress has no moral right to continue in power at the Centre as it has been facing a spate of ‘scams.’ Eshwarappa, in his opening remarks at the meet, said the BJP will win all the three seats in the by-elections.

‘Opposition is destitute’

Chief Minister Yeddyurappa said the Congress and JD(S) had been repeatedly rejected by the people and had become “destitutes”. “You seek my resignation? Come out and face elections. I will not rest till the Congress and the JD(S) are uprooted in the State”, he said.

He reiterated that these two parties can never dream of coming to power for next two decades. They have to be satisfied by confining themselves to the Opposition, he ridiculed.