Former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa has advanced the formal launch of his regional political outfit - the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) - by a day to December 9 to avoid a clash of dates with the Belgaum legislature session.
Earlier, Yeddyurappa had scheduled to launch his party on December 10 at a mammoth rally in Haveri. Speaking to reporters in Bangalore on Thursday, Yeddyurappa said the schedule of the winter session of the legislature (December 5 to 13) seems to have been drawn with an intention to create hurdles for the launch of his new party.
“It seems there is a deliberate attempt to create confusion among my loyalists as their presence will be required in the legislature. I have decided to advance the launch by a day so that it falls on a Sunday,” Yeddyurappa said. He said a section of leaders in the BJP were planning to issue a whip to all its legislators to attend the session.
The former chief minister reiterated his stand that he would not destabilise the present government. “My loyalists will render cooperation to Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar. I have already made it clear that they can join my party after the government completes its term,” he said.
He said, the present dispensation was not a BJP government but a “BJP government supported by Yeddyurappa”.
“It is a sort of coalition government. Jagadish Shettar should realise this. We want him to complete his tenure, but it is up to him,” the former chief minister said. Yeddyurappa’s luncheon meeting on Tuesday witnessed a fairly good turnout with 43 of the 118 BJP MLAs attending. But the supporters stopped short of quitting the BJP and joining the KJP at this point in time.
KJP meeting today
As a precursor to Yeddyurappa launching his new political outfit, the General Council meeting of the KJP, which at present is registered in the name of Padmanabha Prasanna Kumar, will be held in Bangalore on Friday. KJP is a registered political party with the Election Commission since April 2011.
According to sources, the meeting will appoint Yeddyurappa’s close aide and former union minister Dhananjay Kumar as the president of the KJP. Kumar has already become a member of the party, after he was expelled from the BJP for his “anti-party” activities. All the present office bearers of the KJP are likely to quit their posts. Former minister K H Srinivas will also join the KJP, the sources said. Yeddyurappa will take over as the president of the KJP on December 9.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks