Meeting between Shettar, Yediyurappa piques curiosity

Former BJP chief ministers Jagadish Shettar and BS Yediyurappa on Saturday held talks and they are said to have discussed Union Home Minister Amit Shah's declaration that the party would fight the next election with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai as its face.

Earlier this week, Shah said Bommai would be the BJP's face going into the 2023 Assembly elections, evoking mixed reactions within the party.

Shettar visited Yediyurappa and they spoke for nearly half-an-hour. The meeting became the subject of theorising as Shettar had maintained distance with Yediyurappa.

According to sources, Shettar is said to have told Yediyurappa that Shah's statement was unneeded at a time when party leaders were just beginning to digest the fact that Bommai, who is not a native BJP leader, was made the chief minister. Yediyurappa apparently reciprocated by saying that Shah's statement, coming so early with the election still far away, had demoralised native BJP workers.

Also Read | Amit Shah's remark on Bommai has not gone down well with party leaders

Sources also said that Shettar discussed with Yediyurappa how he was flooded with phone calls seeking clarity on Shah's statement. "It's not wrong that Bommai was picked as CM due to the sudden political developments. But, if he is going to lead the BJP into the next election, then should the party's hardcore Hindutva ideologues keep quiet? This is the question people are asking me. What should they be told?" Shettar said, according to sources.

It is further learnt that Yediyurappa advised Shettar to wait and watch. "We're unable to understand the reason behind Shah's statement. If at all a statement had to be made, Shah could have discussed it with party leaders. There's still time. Let's patiently see how things go," Yediyurappa reportedly said.

Following Shah's statement, Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Minister KS Eshwarappa, one of the BJP's architects in Karnataka, contended that the BJP would fight the next election under "collective leadership of which Bommai will be a part".