The fissures in the ruling BJP in Karnataka deepened on Thursday as former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa launched an attack on party State president K S Eshwarappa, charging him with hatching a conspiracy earlier to dethrone him and being responsible for sending him to jail.
The scathing and open tirade on Eswarappa by Yeddyurappa, who has been relentlessly trying to reclaim the post of chief minister, perhaps points to turbulence that might hit the BJP in the days to come.
Yeddyurappa charged Eshwarappa of trying to malign his image and covertly eyeing the post of chief minister. It is no secret that Yeddyurappa was never on good terms with Eshwarappa.
But it is for the first time that Yeddyurappa has been so blatant in his attack. “Eshwarappa is of the impression that if I am thrown out of the party, he can grab power. He has been conspiring against me ever since I assumed office as chief minister. He should stop making unnecessary comments against me. The way he is behaving does not merit the post he is holding”, Yeddyurappa told reporters here.
Earlier in the day, Chief Ministrer D V Sadananda Gowda met Yeddyurappa and briefed him about the talks he had had with the party central leadership in Delhi. “The high command has given me the strength to continue transparent administration in the State,” Gowda said.
Yeddyurappa is said to have taken offence with Eshwarappa for taking the leadership issue with the party central leadership in New Delhi. The former chief minister stated that Eshwarappa had been repeatedly trying to defame him by stating that there were several cases against him and he would not be given any post or position in the party or the government till he came clean of all the charges. “Eshwarappa is speaking like the party high command or national president. I have never sought any position from Eshwarappa. If he gains pleasure by expelling me from the party, let him do so”, Yeddyurappa said.
Yeddyurappa’s outburst comes a day after Eshwarappa accompanied Sadananda Gowda to Delhi to meet party top brass and sought their intervention to checkmate Yeddyurappa’s attempt to return to power. The party central leadership is said to have extended its support to Gowda to expand the Cabinet and also to function independently and effectively as chief minister.
In a way, the former chief minister is also testing waters before making his next political move. He has already set a deadline of January 15 to party central leaders to heed his demand or face the consequence of a political backlash.
At the same time, Yeddyurappa is aware that not many legislators would tag along with him in case he decides to call it a day with the BJP. Yeddyurappa denied on Thursday that he would be quitting the BJP and launching a new party.
“I will work as an MLA (of Shikaripura) and a humble worker of the party,” he said and added sarcastically that from now on “Eshwarappa is BJP and BJP is Eshwarappa. Let him lead the party in the next polls.”
The former chief minister said he would not infere in the Cabinet expansion plans of Sadananda Gowda. “I will not associate myself with Cabinet expansion or with the deliberations of the core-committee of the party.” he said.
He would soon undertake a State-wide tour and announce future plans after January 15. Yeddyurappa said he had remained a ‘silent spectator’ in the recently concluded Assembly session, but added that he had been subjected to a relentless attack without any reason by Eshwarappa.
