Effectively rejecting the demands of dissidents, BJP on Monday made it clear that B S Yeddyurappa will continue as Karnataka Chief Minister but said it would hold talks with MLAs and MPs of the state to "smoothly" resolve the "crisis" in the party unit.
"Definitely, definitely," BJP President Rajnath Singh told reporters in New Delhi when asked whether Yeddyurappa will continue as the Chief Minister.
Singh was speaking after over two-hour-long meeting of senior party leaders to discuss the problem in Karnataka that has arisen due to revolt against Yeddyurappa led by Janardhan Reddy and G Karunakar Reddy.
Besides Rajnath Singh, the meeting was attended by senior leader L K Advani and General Secretaries Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Ananth Kumar and Ram Lal.
Noting that talks are on with various sections of the party unit, Singh said "We are fully confident that the crisis in Karnataka will be resolved smoothly. Everything will be resolved."
The dissidents have been demanding change of leadership and their view was conveyed by Janardhan Reddy to the party high command earlier in the day when he met Jaitley and Kumar.
Yeddyurappa became the chief minister of Karnataka on May 30 last year, heading the first BJP government in South India. Prior to last year's Assembly polls, BJP shared power with JD(S) in a coalition government.
"We are in the process of discussing the issue with various MLAs, MPs and ministers and we are confident we will find a solution to the issue," Jaitley said.
Reddy, who arrived here this morning, met Jaitley and Kumar, seeking a "better leadership" in Karnataka.
After the hour-long meeting with Reddy, Jaitley said he had expressed his views on the situation that has developed in Karnataka and the central leadership take its view later in the day.
Jaitley said all MLAs and ministers have expressed their views and whatever assessment they have arrived at will be presented at the meeting convened in the evening.
Reddy said, "We have requested (the central leadership) to provide a better leadership in Karnataka."
He said he had "100 per cent hope" that the party high command will "provide a very good leader in the interest of Karnataka" and every BJP member in the state.
"Our party leaders will be taking the right decision.... It will be in the interest of the party, in the interest of Karnataka to provide a very good leadership to the state," said Reddy on his arrival earlier.
Jaitley dismissed reports in media that Ananth Kumar, a senior leader from Karnataka, was fuelling dissidence.
"The reports are completely baseless. Ananth Kumar is General Secretary and a senior leader and it is his job to meet leaders of Karnataka. He has met them separately also," Jaitley told reporters.
