Yediyurappa is my leader, says Eshwarappa

Karnataka Rural Development & Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister K S Eshwarappa on Wednesday played down his differences with Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.

A week ago, Eshwarappa created a huge row after he met Governor Vajubhai R Vala with a five-page letter describing Yediyurappa's "serious lapses and authoritarian way of running the administration” apart from the indiscriminate release of funds.

Eshwarappa said he met the Governor to seek clarification and not lodge a complaint as was perceived.

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Eshwarappa’s attempt to put an end to the controversy came ahead of BJP national general secretary Arun Singh’s visit to the state. "To claim that I filed a complaint against the CM is a lie. The question of lodging a complaint (with the Governor) does not arise at all. Yediyurappa is our CM. He is my leader," Eshwarappa said.

According to the Karnataka (Transaction of Business) Rules, the chief minister cannot directly intervene in the distribution of funds, once they are allocated to a department. The CM, according to the Eshwarappa, released funds bypassing him. "In order to seek clarification on this, I approached the Governor, as he had served as Finance Minister for 17-18 years in Gujarat," he said.

BJP national general secretary Arun Singh, who is in charge of the party's affairs in Karnataka, is scheduled to arrive Thursday for a three-day visit. He will land in Bengaluru post-noon and head to Mangaluru and Puttur to take part in a programme. Singh then will participate in the bypolls campaign at Belagavi on April 9, Maski on April 10 and Basavakalyan on April 11 before heading back to New Delhi.