Former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa Saturday warned his Bharatiya Janata Party leadership that the Jagadish Shettar ministry in the state will fall if his supporters in the party are troubled.
"BJP leaders know who my supporters in the party are. If they are troubled, then this (Shettar) government will not survive," the BJP's first chief minister in the state who has announced he will quit the party in December, told reporters here.
Nearly half of ministers in Shettar's 34-member cabinet are loyalists of Yeddyurappa, who also claims the support of around 70 of the party's 120 assembly members. The state assembly is 225-strong.
The threat comes in the wake of party's recent notice to his supporter and former union minister V. Dhananjaya Kumar seeking explanation for his attack on Shettar and state and central BJP leaders.
Dhananjaya Kumar also paid for his attacks as his term as special representative of the state government at New Delhi was not renewed last month.
There was also talk that BJP might serve similar notice to party Rajya Sabha member Ayanur Manjunath, who is also an Yeddyurappa loyalist.
So far it has not materialized though Manjunath was sacked as party spokesperson for attacking Deputy Chief Minister R. Ashoka over the handling of the transport strike last month.
Yeddyurappa, who lost the chief ministership July last year over mining bribery charges, reiterated that he will leave BJP in December and start his own outfit in time for assembly polls due May next year.
He said none of his supporters will leave BJP even in December. They would do so after the election dates are announced, he added.
Yeddyurappa reacted angrily to frequent comments by a few state BJP leaders that he will not leave BJP and his announcement was only to get a position in the state unit.
"Let them have patience till December. Question of staying in this party does not arise. There is no change in my decision on quitting the party", he asserted.
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