"I am going to continue as Chief Minister for another two years," says Yeddyurappa.
Embattled Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa today returned here from his holiday and ruled out his resignation in the wake of the Lok Ayukta report indicting him on the illegal mining issue.
"Opposition parties hoping that I would quit would be disappointed," he said.
"Lok Ayukta so far officially has not submitted the report to the government. As soon as I receive the report from Lok Ayukta, then I will be able to reply to all the queries", he told reporters at the Bangalore Airport, on arrival from Mauritius, where he was on a six-day holiday with his family.
"Till now, I have high respect for Lok Ayukta Santosh Hegde. All of us are eagerly awaiting his report. The moment we get the report, I will give the reaction of the government to the six crore people of Karnataka", Yeddyurappa said.
On demands for his resignation by opposition parties, he said former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo HD Devegowda had said that if Yeddyurappa government is "allowed to continue", they [JD(S)] "will be no more".
He said the opposition parties "don't want development in Karnataka" and want his government to go at the earliest.
Yeddyurappa said Congress and JD(S) leaders (looking forward for his resignation) would be "disappointed". He said he would go around the State and "speak to the people".
The Chief Minister is slated to address a formal press conference at Vidhan Soudha, the state secretariat, at 4.30pm, where he said, he would talk about the "future plan".
Ministers VS Acharya, V Somanna, Murugesh Nirani and MP Renukacharya were among those who welcomed him at the airport.
Unfazed by mounting pressure, a combative Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa today asserted he would continue in his post for the remainder of his term, ruling out his resignation in the wake of the Lokayukta report indicting him in the illegal mining scam. "I am going to continue as Chief Minister for another two years," Yeddyurappa, who appeared relaxed, told reporters in the company of BJP State unit President KS Eshwarappa shortly after the former's arrival from Mauritius where he was on a holiday with his family.
Yeddyurappa's comment came at a time when BJP central leadership said it would take "appropriate action" once the report is submitted to the Government. Earlier, several loyalist Ministers met Yeddyurappa at the airport and accompanied him to his Race Course residence, where they were also joined by some MLAs.
"We are all together," the Chief Minister, who completed three years in office in May, said. He said former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy are "very much worried" as their party JDS is "losing their vote-bank" by the day and fear that if the BJP government continued in office, "they will be no more" (a political force).
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