Yeddyurappa fans flame, says Cong, JD(S) MLAs eager to join BJP

BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa on Saturday claimed that disgruntled Congress and JD(S) legislators were eager to join the saffron party.

“Several disgruntled youngsters and leaders of Congress and JD(S) are on their toes to join the BJP. It’s our responsibility to induct them, who are willing to join the BJP, in every Assembly constituency and strengthen our party,” he told a meeting of the BJP Yuva Morcha here.

Yeddyurappa’s remarks came even as the Congress was facing a hard time quelling disgruntlement in its ranks, with several leaders publicly expressing their dismay over not being picked as ministers.

Yeddyurappa, also the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, urged party workers to work as a strong opposition. “How long this government will last is a different matter, but we are 104 MLAs and we should work as a successful opposition.” The BJP chief also mocked the Congress for joining hands with the JD(S).

“The Congress has surrendered to the JD(S) by giving away all prominent portfolios. The Congress itself is paving the way for a Congress Mukt Karnataka,” he said. Addressing the BJP’s Raitha Morcha meeting later in the day, Yeddyurappa mounted an attack on Chief Minister
H D Kumaraswamy over his promise of waiving farmers’ loans.

“Let’s wait for about a month till Kumaraswamy presents his budget. If there’s no loan waiver after, we should put up a fight to ensure Kumaraswamy is stripped of power,” he said. Yeddyurappa said the “father and son” - former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy - should implement the loan waiver if they were really honest.

“The father-son duo, if they were really concerned about farmers, should have imposed a condition that they will join hands with the Congress only if the latter supported a farm loan waiver,” he said. “Instead, they have imposed only those conditions that are favourable for them to remain in power.”

Kumaraswamy hit back at Yeddyurappa thus: “Have I said I will not waive farm loans? For his worth, why didn’t Yeddyurappa waive them when he was in power? I know how to protect my farmers.”