Krishna has agreed to join BJP, says Yeddyurappa

State BJP president B S Yeddyurappa said on Saturday that it is more or less confirmed that former chief minister S M Krishna, who recently quit the Congress, is joining the BJP.

“Talks have already been held with the leader and he has agreed to join the party. One more round of talks will be held tomorrow,” he told journalsists in Kalaburagi. Quoting Krishna, Yeddyurappa said that the leader has expressed his wish to be in a party where he will be respected and where his self-respect will not be hurt. He quit Congress because he was not treated with respect.

To a query on the promises made by the BJP to Krishna, he said the the former External Affiars minister does not have any expectations. He has already been in several positions.

Yeddyurappa said that post-demonetisation Krishna spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Krishna has a lot of respect for the prime minister and believes that the Modi-led government will do good for the country, he added.

Yeddyurappa’s announcement surprised even some BJP leaders. Union Minister of Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu, said he wasn’t aware of Krishna’s entry into the BJP but hastened to add that Yeddyurappa “knows better”.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah dismissed Yeddyurappa’s statement that Krishna is joining the BJP and said the Congress party was still trying to bring him back into its fold. Addressing the media in Yadgir, he said Krishna enjoyed great respect in the Congress and that the party hadn’t ditched any senior leader. “What can we do if he quits all of a sudden?”

KPCC president G Parameshwara and Energy Minister D K Shivakumar reiterated that Krishna was too senior a leader to join the BJP, but conceded that they didn’t know his plans. Meanwhile, sources in Krishna’s office scotched speculation that he could meet Modi on Monday, saying he didn’t have any appointment that day.