Two days after the BJP parliamentary board decided to remove BS Yeddyurappa from the position of chief minister, the high command struggles to assert its authority and enforce its decision.
Two days after the BJP parliamentary board decided to remove BS Yeddyurappa from the position of chief minister, the high command struggles to assert its authority and enforce its decision.
The humiliation was so complete, Yeddyurappa even refused to come out of his residence to meet national leaders Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh, who arrived in city in a bid to resolve the crisis.
Finally, the two national leaders went to Yeddyurappa’s residence to request the strongman from Shikaripur to quit gracefully.
Quite unexpectedly, the worst was still to come. Half hour later, Yeddyurappa rejected the request of the party’s national leaders and stuck to his demands. He said he would name his successor as chief minister; he would also want to be state party president.
Jubilant MLAs of the Yeddyurappa camp surrounded the two national leaders and raised slogans in support of their leader.
It was a bizarre situation, for a party that boasted of being the party with a difference, one known for its discipline. Yeddyurappa had earlier claimed that he was a loyal soldier of the party, one who had served it for 40 years, and would abide by the decision of the high command.
The weakened authority of the party high command also clearly reflects the fissures within the top leadership. The developments in the state have raised questions on whether the high command has any influence over state-level leaders and workers.
State BJP president KS Eshwarappa had a lot to explain. He was asked why the national leaders arrived at Yeddyurappa’s door, when they should have summoned him.
“There is no ego in our party. This shows the humility of Jaitley and Rajnath Singh. They worked to resolve the crisis. This is a matter that will be resolved, small misunderstandings are normal. This should not be seen as loss of face for the party high command or the erosion of its authority,” Eshwarappa said.
However, his defence only invited comparison with the Congress party, which recently showed the door to Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh in the wake of the Adarsh housing scam. The Congress also earlier replaced Rosaiah with Kiran Kumar Reddy in Andhra Pradesh to grapple with the challenge of Telangana agitation.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}