Yeddyurappa will complete full term:Dharmendra Pradhan

Mangaloretoday News / PTI

Bangalore, March 26: BJP today declared that there was no change in the leadership of Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, whose ouster party rebels have been demanding in the wake of allegations against him and said all issues had been "sorted out."

"Now there is no such kind of talk of ensuring a graceful exist for the Chief Minister. Yeddyurappa is our Chief Minister and he will continue and complete his term," Dharmendra Pradhan, in-charge of BJP affairs in Karnataka told reporters.

 

 

Pradhan, deputed by the party high command to try and contain the fresh crisis, met Yeddyurappa and state unit party chief K S Eswarappa last night and asked them to focus on the April 9 bypoll in three assembly constituencies.

To a question to specify the term of office of Yeddyurappa, Pradhan said, "he has got a mandate for five years". Pradhan said it was BJP that had got the mandate to rule the state in the 2008 assembly polls.

He said the party would take steps to refurbish the image of the government and BJP after Yeddyurappa faced charges of corruption. On activites of dissidents who led a delegation to Delhi and complained to the high command about Yeddyurappa’s style of functioning and demanded his removal, he said: "The party is united. In a democracy everybody has a right to express their views. After listening to all, the High Command has decided to face the (by)poll unitedly."

Pradhan claimed he was here only to discuss the coming bypoll and attend a BJP youth training programme. He said he discussed the political situation in the state with Yeddyurappa, Eswarappa and some important leaders and the plans to give a stiff fight to the opposition in the bypoll.

Pradhan evaded a reply on whether the BJP would act against Yeddyurappa if Lokayukta police registered a FIR on the baisis of a local court order, which had directed it to investigate complaints of corruption. He also ducked a query on whether the yardstick of seeking resignation of Katta Subramanya Naidu after an FIR was filed by Lokayukta police in connection with alleged irregularities in getting compensation for land acquired by Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board would apply to Yeddyurappa.

"I am not good at law. There are differrent versions on registering of FIR", he said. After meeting party leaders, he said "everything has been settled. Certain matters are internal and will be sorted out".

While Pradhan will return to Delhi today, Yeddyurappa will reach the national capital from Mysore this evening.

Meanwhile, Eswarappa, who had led a team of dissidents to New Delhi to lodge a complain to the party high command about Yeddyurappa’s style of functioning and demanded his removal, told reporters at Hubli that the rebels did not ask for the chief minister’s removal.

"There are no differences of opinion or internal dispute in BJP. Yeddyurappa will continue as Chief Minister for another two years," Eswarappa said.

Eswarappa said he visited Delhi to bring to the notice of the party leaders the problems faced by some of its MLAs as no development work had been taken in their constituencies by the government.