Though Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa removed his Principal Secretary V P Baligar to please the Bellary Reddys, BJP’s Karnataka crisis continued on Friday. Talks in New Delhi did not make much headway as the Chief Minister insisted that no fresh demands of the rebels would be accepted.

At a meeting with party leaders at L K Advani’s residence, Yeddyurappa took on party general secretary Ananth Kumar, saying that instead of resolving the crisis, Kumar may actually have aggravated it. He also put his foot down and said that he would not consider any more rebel demands.

When a senior leader pointed out that the numbers didn’t actually favour him, Yeddyurappa said that it was the party high command that had advised against parading party legislators in the Capital. Advani told Yeddyurappa

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BJP’s southern crisis continues as CM sacrifices his secy, says no more concessions

that he should not worry and that the crisis would be resolved with him as the chief minister.

M Venkaiah Naidu, Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj were present also present at the meeting. Commenting on the day’s developments, a senior party leader said: “It’s an inch-by-inch progress”.

The party has asked Yeddyurappa to extend his stay in the Capital by a day. Rebel leader Janardhan Reddy, who returned to Hyderabad to hold talks with his camp followers, too, is expected here by Saturday.

Speaking in Hyderabad, Janardhan, however, feigned ignorance about any “compromise formula” to resolve the party crisis, but added that the crisis in the state BJP “would be resolved in two-three days.”

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