BSY won't be made state unit chief, say BJP leaders

While agreeing to make sincere efforts to retain former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa in the BJP, the party central leaders refused to give any commitment on the demand of making him the state unit president.

When a delegation from Karnataka led by Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar met senior leaders here on Wednesday, the latter categorically said that Yeddyurappa should first stop attacking the party senior leaders.

Taking strong exception to the Lingayat strongman’s recent criticism against the party leaders including national president Nitin Gadkari, the national leaders said: “We are ready to make all efforts to retain Yeddyurappa in the party. But making him state unit president and declaring him as next chief ministerial candidate, as demanded by Yeddyurappa, is impossible at this moment”.

As Yeddyurappa is facing severe corruption charges and the CBI also named him in its charge sheet, appointing him as the state unit president would be a disaster to the organisation, the leaders are learnt to have said.  

The party top brass also indicated that senior leaders from Delhi will be sent to Bangalore to hold discussion with beleaguered leader.  

The delegation comprising eight ministers including state unit president and Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa met senior leaders Murali Manohar Joshi, Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh and Ananth Kumar here and pleaded with them to make efforts to prevent Yeddyurappa from quitting the party.