FRONT PAGE | Sunday, November 8, 2009 | Email | Print | 
Birthday gift for Advani
Kumar Uttam/ Kestur Vasuki | New Delhi/Bangalore
BSY, Reddy to meet, bury hatchet
The great Karnataka drama might see a “happy ending” on Sunday with Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa and his rival Janardhana Reddy, the Tourism Minister, burying the hatchet in front of party veteran LK Advani on his 83rd birthday. The rapprochement between the warring factions would come not only as a big B’day gift for Advani but also as a great relief for the party, which at one point even considered sacrificing the Government than giving in to the arm-twisting beyond a point.
BJP sources revealed to The Pioneer that Yeddyurappa, who was scheduled to return to Bangalore by late night, extended his stay in the national Capital after a meeting with senior leaders M Venkaiah Naidu, Sushma Swaraj and Ananth Kumar. Janardhana Reddy and Health Minister B Sriramalu, a close confidant of Reddy brothers, also reached New Delhi late in the night after hectic parleying with their supporters in Bangalore and Hyderabad.
Venkaiah Naidu told reporters after the late evening discussions with Yeddyurappa that there would be no change of leadership and there would be a “happy conclusion” (to the crisis). He confirmed that the Chief Minister has extended his stay in Delhi by a day “to greet senior leader LK Advani on his birthday on Sunday”. Janardhana, who flew to Hyderabad last night to hold consultations with his supporters over the compromise formula suggested by the BJP’s top leadership, went straight to Bangalore on Saturday to have a one-on-one with Assembly Speaker Jagadish Shettar, whom rebels had propped up as a suitable replacement to Yeddyurappa.
Janardhana and Yeddyurappa were supposed to hold a joint Press conference in New Delhi on Saturday to announce the truce, but the rebel Minister stayed back in Bangalore throughout the day keeping the party on the tenterhooks.
He compounded party’s worries by denying any “dilution” in demand for leadership change. “From the beginning I am saying that in the interest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Karnataka, there should be a better leadership. I stand by it,” he told a Press meet in Bangalore after talks with his elder brother and Revenue Minister Karunakara Reddy as well as Sriramalu.
His statement came within hours of Yeddyurappa’s claim on Saturday morning that the crisis has been resolved and that he had party leadership’s mandate to stay. “Everything has been resolved... I am thankful to the party leadership for reposing faith in me. I will take everyone into confidence. The BJP Government in Karnataka will complete its full term,” Yeddyurappa said just before he went for a pilgrimage to the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu. Meanwhile, sources close to the Reddy brothers claim they have decided to give “six months’ time” to Yeddyurappa to improve his style of functioning and bring about the required changes in the Government.
The “truce” between the warring factions in Karnataka has come against the backdrop of realisation by the BJP leadership that it would not be possible for it to accommodate the demands of rebels beyond a point and it would have to crack the whip on Reddy brothers, who have cases pending against them in the State, if they failed to accept the offers made to them.
The “compromise formula” would see dropping of Chief Minister’s close aides and Ministers Shobha Karandlaje, VS Acharya and a few more; induction of Assembly Speaker Jagadish Shettar and at least half a dozen more MLAs into the Cabinet; a major reshuffle in the portfolios of Ministers; revocation of the cess imposed on lorries carrying iron ore (a decision that was hurting Reddy brothers’ business interest) and other sops. During his meeting with senior BJP leaders after returning from Vaishno Devi shrine, Yeddyurappa also discussed the modalities to execute this formula.
Meanwhile, there was hectic parleying in Bangalore by both the factions throughout Saturday. Janardhana Reddy, Karunakara Reddy and Sriramulu met Assembly Speaker Shettar, who has become a rallying point for the rebels on the latest developments and made it clear that they stood by their demand to sack Yeddyurappa.
“I expect our central leaders will take a very right, very correct and good decision in the next two, three days,” Reddy said with Sriramalu by his side. On Yeddyurappa’s statement in New Delhi that he (Yeddyurappa) had accepted the compromise formula proposed by the central party leaders, Reddy angrily countered, “Has it (formula) been discussed in front of you?”
He repeated the charge that the Chief Minister was “surrounded by evil forces” and that Yeddyurappa was placing hurdles in the efforts of Reddy brothers, Sriramalu and their supporters in providing relief to the flood affected in north Karnataka. He claimed that the Chief Minister had transferred over 60 officials since the Reddy brothers launched the programme to construct houses for the flood hit.
Meanwhile, the State Congress termed the internal mess in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party a “constitutional crisis” but opined that mid-term election was “not the medicine”. The State Assembly is yet “just a year-and-a-half old,” said noted Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president RV Deshpande, while asking Yeddyurappa’s team to “either govern or go home.”
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