BJP General Secretary and Karnataka party in-charge Arun Singh on Sunday said that Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa will continue to hold the post until the end of his term, putting an end to the speculations of a leadership change. He warned other leaders against asking for a change and said that BJP’s central leadership will take the decision. He also ruled out the possibility of the party forming an alliance with the JD(S).
"I have said a number of times, he (Yediyurappa) is our CM, he will remain CM. Under his leadership (we are going) he is taking care of all sections of the society. He is one of the prominent leaders of the party here," Singh said in response to a question about leadership change. Speaking to reporters in Shivamogga, he said, "why do you raise such hypothetical imaginary questions? I can't reply."
There has been intense speculation in some quarters that the BJP high command is mulling leadership change in Karnataka in the days to come considering Yediyurappa's age. Though the state BJP had outright rejected such speculations, it refused to die down, with some in the party like senior MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal giving credence to it with their statements.
Reacting to a query regarding Yatnal's statements, Singh said, "Any karyakarta (worker) or any leader, small or big, has to speak within the limits. If somebody has the problem one can come and discuss one-to-one because there is internal democracy in our party, but speaking publicly is not right." Yatnal, who is Vijayapura City MLA had in October claimed that Yediyurappa will not remain Chief Minister for long and the high command has decided that his successor will be from the north Karnataka region.
Maintaining that the cabinet expansion was Chief Minister's prerogative, Singh said it will happen soon. "It will happen soon; it is the prerogative of the Chief Minister. I can only say- it will happen soon," he said in response to a question.
The cabinet expansion or reshuffle is expected to be a tightrope walk for the Chief Minister, considering that there are too many aspirants, from the party old guard to Congress- JD(S) rebels who are now BJP legislators. The cabinet currently has 27 members, and seven berths are still vacant.
Meanwhile, former Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy, on Sunday, warned the BJP and accused them of systematically fanning rumours of JD(S) joining NDA. In a series of tweets, the JD(S) legislature party chief accused the BJP of attempting to erode the party’s base by planting such rumours. He said the party "does not need BJP's friendship”.
“This is the reason why BJP was trying to play the phoney drama of alliance. This is the reason why it is systematically spreading imaginary news about JD(S) joining NDA. This is absolutely false," Kumaraswamy tweeted.
Claiming that he shares a better bonding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi than many state BJP leaders do and has respect for Chief Minister Yediyurappa's seniority, he said the intention of JD(S) was not to be an opposition party just for the sake of opposing.
"If BJP indulges in a misinformation campaign, that bonding, respect and intent will get hampered. The BJP should beware about JD(S)," he added. Kumaraswamy's attack came after he recently spoke about JD(S) having an "issue-based understanding" with BJP, while dismissing talk about his party's possible merger with the party. "BJP should understand that this is immoral politics," he added.