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ShareBanglore: As the crisis in the state BJP only seems to be deepening, intellectuals and progressive thinkers have suggested that the chief minister not yield to the rebels' demand, and instead demanded that Yeddyurappa drop Karunakara Reddy, Janardhana Reddy and B Sriramulu from the cabinet.
Litterateur UR Ananthamurthy said that Yeddyurappa should take a tough stand and remove the Reddy brothers from the government. "The Reddy brothers should not be kept on moral grounds and there is no need for them to stay when they are talking bad of the leadership. If he yields to the pressure then it would imply that he is supporting illegal activities. He will earn great respect if he sticks to his guns," he said.
Underlining the need for a stable government, Ananthamurthy added: "People would lose faith in the electoral system if the government topples. But this doesn't mean that the chief minister compromises with the Reddy brothers to save the government."
He added, "The Reddy brothers were strong and Yeddyurappa had made use of them. Then the Reddys became stronger with the chief minister's support. With the money they earned from mining activities, they bought many legislators. But they can't buy us."
He added that to check defections, the law should be amended, emphasising that if an elected representative of a constituency resigns, he should be banned from contesting from that constituency for another five years.
Reiterating his stand on nationalising mining in Bellary, Ananthamurthy said that the Reddy brothers should be punished for the illegal mining activities. "They have earned crores of rupees from mining and the government was run with that money. Tribals are also being affected by this," he said.
Lingadevaru Halemane, SG Siddaramaiah, HM Marulasiddaiah, BS Lingadevaru, P Shesadri and BT Lalitha Nayak supported Ananthamurthy's opinion.
The Progressive Organizations' Federation has also threatened to start a people's movement against the government if the BJP does not resolve the issue at the earliest. "When BJP formed the government in the state, Yeddyurappa used the Reddy brothers to strengthen his stand. Now, they are demanding their rights. It is not a good political development. It is a question of Yeddyurappa's prestige; he should not compromise with the Reddy brothers and should continue as CM. Otherwise people should exercise their right to recall," said Karunada Sene president Agni Sridhara.
Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha president Kodihalli Chandrashekar said, "It is very unfortunate that the flood victims are suffering on one side, while some MLAs are enjoying themselves at resorts. The BJP should either resolve the issue immediately or all of them should resign. If the issue is not resolved by Monday, we will start an agitation against the government in Raichur from November 9."
"The state will not pardon the BJP ministers and MLA's. They should sort out the differences or brace up for a people's movement," said Sarvodaya party leader Indudhar Honnapur.
