JOIN USSerious differences are said to have arisen within the top leadership of the BJP over the demand by Karnataka party leader B S Yeddyurappa that he should be installed as chief minister of the state.
The issue came up at the meeting of senior leaders on Wednesday which was attended by party president Nitin Gadkari and senior leaders Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Venkaiah Naidu, Rajnath Singh etc.
Gadkari was said to have made a forceful demand that Yeddyurappa should be reinstated as he was the only powerful leader of the party in the Karnataka. While a couple of leaders were said to have supported him, there was a fierce opposition to this also.
The group that opposed the ieda said it would damage the party’s image as Yeddyurappa was yet to come out clean from the charges of corruption. They pointed out that although the Karnataka High Court has given a clean chit, however, the Lokayukta Police have stated that they will move the Supreme Court.
Incidently, the apex court is already hearing a petition filed by an NGO, and the court-appointed Centrally empowered committee has been asked to examine when the CBI investigation will be required into the charges of graft by way of payments made to trusts run by Yeddyurappa’s relatives.
When this was the situation, how can he be made the chief minister asked this group, which is close to party senior L K Advani, who did not attend the meeting. This will also affect the party’s chances in the coming Udupi by-election, it was pointed out.
Later, in the meeting, it was decided to hold a meeting after March 18, to decide on the issue.