Bangalore: Stung by the expulsion of a leader loyal to him from the party, disgruntled Karnataka BJP strongman BS Yeddyurappa today asked Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar not to take unilateral decisions or be prepared to
face consequences.
I hope Shettar will not go the way of DV Sadananda Gowda (his predecessor) did. It seems there is a thinking that if I go out of BJP, they can continue the government with JDS support. I will not allow this even in their dreams,
Yeddyurappa told reporters here.
Yeddyurappa's remarks come a day after the expulsion of former Union minister Dhananjay Kumar from BJP for six years for his open outbursts against Shettar and the state leadership.
Bangalore: Rebel BJP leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa is all set to resign from the party and his assembly membership tomorrow, severing his 40-year-old association with it.
I will go in a march along with my supporters to Vidhana Soudha tomorrow at 12 noon and submit resignation to my assembly membership, Yeddyurappa, who has rejected calls to remain in BJP, told reporters at Shikaripura, his home town in Shimoga district.
Yeddyurappa's exit is expected to put the BJP at a crossroads, but the party leaders have put up a brave face saying it will have no impact. The 70-year-old Lingayat leader is credited with bringing BJP to power in Karnataka, making it as the first ever party government in the south.
Bangalore: Firm on quitting BJP despite the top brass making a last-ditch effort to dissuade him from doing so, former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa today said he is likely to advance his leaving the party by month-end.
Earlier, I had decided to quit BJP on December 9. But I will now possibly quit BJP by month-end, he told reporters here.
Yeddyurappa had decided to launch his Karnataka Janata Party on 9 December at a public rally in Haveri after the state's ruling BJP decided to hold the winter session of the assembly between 5 December to 13 December, which would have left no option for Yeddyurappa's followers but to miss the launch of the party.
Hubli (Karnataka): The BJP ministry in Karnataka was in serious trouble late Saturday as one minister loyal to the party's former leader BS Yeddyurappa said he had quit the cabinet and a few other ministers said they were ready to do so.
Infrastructure Development minister Sunil Valyapure told reporters in this north Karnataka town that he has faxed his resignation to chief minister Jagadish Shettar as he wants to attend a rally Sunday at which Yeddyurappa will formally launch his regional party. Hubli is about 370 km from Bangalore.
Agriculture minister Umesh Katti said in Davangere in central Karnataka, about 270 km from Bangalore, that he and other ministers supporting Yeddyurappa will meet Shettar Monday to protest Saturday's disciplinary action against two other followers of the former BJP chief minister.
He said ministers backing Yeddyurappa were ready to quit if the party continued with such steps.
When BS Yeddyurappa led the BJP to form its first government in south India in Karnataka in May 2008, a BJP activist in Bangalore, in the midst of all the jubilation wondered aloud how long. Because just about anyone who has worked with Yeddyurappa in the party is familiar with his mercurial temper. Hence his ability to play an innings lasting five years was always suspect.
For those in doubt, ask Venkaiah Naidu, whose laptop never switched on again, after Yeddyurappa 'powered' it !
Therefore it came as no surprise when he was asked to leave the field after three years in office. But Yeddyurappa who displayed all the qualities of a bad loser, wanted to become selector once he was booted out as captain.
Belgaum (Karnataka): Karnataka's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party Monday dared its former leader BS Yeddyurappa to topple the Jagadish Shettar government, a day after he challenged the chief minister to prove his majority or quit.
If he has courage, let him ask legislators supporting him to quit or join opposition parties and bring a no-trust vote, state BJP chief KS Eshwarappa told reporters here.
Shettar too said he was ready to prove the majority if a no-confidence motion is moved in the assembly, which is meeting in this north Karnataka town, about 500 km from Bangalore.
Yeddyurappa had Sunday challenged Shettar to prove majority as 13 to 15 BJP assembly members out of 118 in the 225-member assembly had shared the dais with him at a function to formally launch his Karnataka Janata Party (KJP).
