I won't go to Delhi seeking chair: BSY

Power struggle: He claims BJP Central leaders promised to make him CM again

Reluctantly toeing the party line on the leadership issue, former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa on Monday vowed not to approach the party high command seeking any post, and said he would soon start touring the State to share his feelings with the people.

However, he is likely to attend the March 3 meeting with the party central leaders in the national capital. Yeddyurappa, who had remained stoic ever since he was snubbed by party president Nitin Gadkari recently on the leadership issue, said he aspired and worked towards being the chief minister, as the party high command had assured him he would be reinstated within four-five months (after he was asked to step down as CM).

“I approached the high command as it had assured me... and I wanted to present my last budget. There was no other reason. But now, I will not go to Delhi again seeking any post. I will instead go to the people. People want me to be chief minister because they appreciate my work,” he said, after being felicitated by a backward classes forum led by his loyalists on his 69th birthday. In the same breath, he said he will not quit the BJP.

Yeddyurappa, who celebrated his birthday by showing off his clout among Lingayat mutts and a dozen others, wore no smile through the day. He began the day by seeking the blessings of Sri Shivakumara Swami of Siddaganga Mutt in Tumkur. Besides, dozens of saffron-clad, nondescript swamis of various mutts, were present at his Race Course Road residence.

The disgruntled BJP leader had earlier set February 27 as deadline for the party high command to fulfil his demand. He had warned he would go his way if the party continued to sideline him.

But, on contrary, he did not take any drastic decision. He even kept his birthday celebrations a low-key affair, obviously due to a warning by Gadkari that caste politics and rebellious attitude will not be tolerated in the party.

The Lingayat strongman, however, refused to mend fences with his enemies in the party. He warned his detractors that he would develop a parallel leadership by giving suitable positions to capable, honest and trustworthy party workers.

The itinerary will be drawn up in two to three days after consulting leaders, he said. Both Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda and State party chief K S Eshwarappa were kept away from the felicitation function organised by Yeddyurappa loyalists. The forum led by former MLA M D Lakshminarayan had not even mentioned the names of Gowda and Eshwarappa in the invitation card.

Advice to CM

Taking an indirect jibe at Gowda, whom he had accused of dancing to the tunes of JD(S) leaders, he said he would not allow the father-son duo — H D Deve Gowda and H D Kumaraswamy — to enter the Vidhana Soudha easily. “You might have started entering the Vidhana Soudha, but I will not allow it to happen easily… I will not allow anybody to develop any relationship with the father-son duo,” he said.

He accused Deve Gowda of ousting him from the chief minister’s post and said he would take it as a challenge to bring the BJP back to power in the next Assembly elections. “After filing several cases against me and sending me to jail, they (his enemies) thought I won’t come out again. They wanted to erase my name from public memory. They all will get an answer soon… I had remained defensive all these days. From now on, I will be offensive,” he said.

He also hit out at Governor H R Bhardwaj and accused him of conspiring to oust his government thrice. Never in the history of India has a governor acted as an Opposition party leader. 

“He (Bhardwaj) kept criticising my government for three years. But I won’t be cowed down so easily, he said.