Bangalore, May 13: Ruling BJP in Karnataka last night plunged into a fresh crisis after eight ministers offered to quit in support of the party strongman B S Yeddyurappa for leadership change amid indications the former chief minister was mulling quitting the state Assembly.
Amid reports that Yeddyurappa could also force a split in the party, the four-year-old BJP government faced a major threat when eight ministers handed over to him their letters of resignation addressed to Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, in a sudden development apparently in protest against the latter complaining against them to the party high command.
The development capped day-long consultation process held at Yeddyurappa's residence with his loyalist ministers and MLAs.
Ministers Basavaraj Bommai, Murugesh Nirani, V Somanna, Umesh Katti, C M Udasi, M P Renukacharya, Shobba Karandlaje and Raju Gowda submitted their resignatin letters to Yeddyurappa, authorising the former chief minister to take a call.
Minister for Animal Husbandry Revunaik Belamagi, who is away from the state capital, has pledged his support to Yeddyurappa and offerred to hand over his resignation letter today or by Monday, taking the number of ministers deciding to resign to eight.
A Minister who is closly associated with the activities of dissidents headed by Yeddyurappa told PTI that atleast 15 MLAs have also submitted letters addressed to the Assembly speaker K G Bopaiah that they are resigning their assembly membership on their own.
Yeddyurappa, who was overwhelmed by the support by ministers and MLAs, told them at the meeting held at his Race Course Residence that in the event of their resignation, he would also quit his assembly membership and a decision would be taken on the issue by Monday.
The BJP central leadership spoke to Yeddyurappa and asked him not to precipitate the crisis but the Lingayat community strongman refused to budge and continued consultations on his future political moves with his confidiant legislators.
The fresh crisis for the first-ever BJP government in the south came a day after the Supreme Court ordered a CBI probe against Yeddyurappa in connection with donations received by a trust owned and managed by his family members by mining companies and certain instances of denotification of land in “violation” of rules when he was the chief minister.
Yeddyurappa, who has been gunning for the ouster of Sadananda Gowda he had propelled to the post of the chief minister after the BJP central leadership had forced him to quit in July last year, has shot of two letters to the chief minister with signatures of 38 MLAs seeking convening of an emergent legislature party meeting.
But Gowda has rejected the call saying “there is no need for such a meeting”.
Yeddyurappa loyalists have been seeking the legislature party meeting to debate on a complaint sent by Sadananda Gowda and state unit party President K S Eswarappa to BJP President Nitin Gadkari demanding action against ministers who have identified themselves with Yeddyurappa and to check their “anti-party” activities.
Sources close to Yeddyurappa said some of the MLAs suggested to the former chief minister to quit BJP as the party has humiliated him. However, Yeddyurappa refused to react to such demands.
Meanwhile, Gowda who is in Mangalore said he has not received any resignation letter by any minister.
“If they have given their resignation letter to Yeddyurappa, how can I react? Gowda said adding he would visit Delhi tomorrow to attend the 60th year celebrations of the Indian Parliament and not for any political reasons.
A source in Yeddyurappa camp claimed that at least 45 BJP MLAs are ready to resign from the assembly.
If such a development indeed takes place, the BJP government will be reduced to a minority.
In the 224-member assembly, BJP has a strength of 120, Congress 71, JD(S) 26 and Independents seven. The assembly elections are due next year.
Yeddyurappa and his supporters were irked by the fact that none of the party's central leaders rallied behind him.
“Even the chief minister who shared the dais with Yeddyurappa at a function in Nanjangud, did not speak to their leader for courtesy sake”, a leader who refused to be named said.
The Yeddyurappa camp is pushing for Rural Development Minister Jagadish Shettar, who belongs to Lingayat community, for chief ministership. Ironically, Shettar was the man whom the Yeddyurappa camp had defeated in the election held to legislature party leader in August last year which Gowda won.
The BJP high command is not in favour of re-instating Yeddyurappa at this jucture as he would be facing CBI probe into illegal mining issue.
The number game came to fore in the both the camps with a minister in Yeddyurappa group claiming that atleast 45 MLAs were ready to quit their assembly membership. Minister for Municipal Administration Balachandra Jarkiholi, a known supporter of Gowda claimed the support of 61 MLAs.
In another development, Minister Vasaanth Asnotikar is leaving for Delhi today along with about ten MLAs in support of Gowda's leadership.
