The standoff in the ruling BJP continued with the Reddy group unrelenting on its one-point agenda: remove Yeddyurappa. However, the party high command categorically reiterated that there was no question of change of leadership.
BJP bigwigs Sushma Swaraj, who is said to be very close to the Reddy brothers, HN Ananthkumar and Arun Jaitley sought to douse the rebellion. But their counsel to Janardhana Reddy in Delhi yielded little result as the rebels refused to budge even an inch from their ‘oust Yeddyurappa’ demand.
According to BJP sources in Delhi, the party would not be able to oust a chief minister, that too of the party’s first-ever government south of the Vindhyas, following a demand from a section of the partymen.
With the BJP organisational elections scheduled for the year-end, no major changes could be effected at this juncture. The BJP higher-ups were looking for a patch-up between the warring groups that could buy time.
Indications are that Yeddyurappa would meet the party top brass in New Delhi on November 5 or 6, after which the high command would try to hold a meeting of both the parties.
This meeting might take up rebels’ demands including those on change of portfolios, berthing Jagadish Shettar and removing Shobha Karandlaje and principal secretary to the chief minister VP Baligar, sources said.
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