No change in my leadership: Yeddyurappa

Yeddyurappa claimed there would be no change in his leadership which has been amply made clear by party leader Arun Jaitley,who was rushed here for patch-up efforts but failed to broker a truce between the warring factions.

“Jaitley himself has praised my leadership and my Government’s working,” he said even as both the camps were engaged in the numbers game.

Legislators loyal to Yeddyruappa joined the “number game race” claiming that their camp enjoyed the support of 85 members while rebels asserted they have 80 MLAs 80 on their side. The BJP legislature party has 117 members.

“Some of the MLAs whose support the rebels are claiming are actually with Yeddyurappa,” Labour Minister B N Bacchegowda told reporters after releasing a list of 85 MLAs including Yeddyurappa to counter the dissidents’ claim that their numbers were swelling.

However,sources in the dissident camp,which is trying to project Shettar as an alternative to Yeddyurappa,claimed the numbers have shot up to 80 from 67. More than 60 MLAs have been shifted to Hyderabad and Goa by rebel leader and Tourism Minister Janardhana Reddy,sources said.

K’tka BJP in disarray as rebels claim support of 60 MLAs

Earlier,Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu claimed that the rebel Reddy brothers have the support of 60 MLAs and will head to New Delhi on Sunday to meet the party’s central leadership.

Representatives of warring factions in the Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be meeting in Delhi over the weekend to patch up their differences,even as the party general secretary in charge of Karnataka,Arun Jaitley,has ruled out a leadership change in the state.

Jaitely,who returned to the national capital on Friday,said Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa would remain in office. But the dissidents continue to demand his removal.

Party sources said State Tourism Minister Janardhana Reddy and his brother and State Revenue Minister G Karunakara Reddy and their associate Health Minister B Sriramulu,along with Assembly Speaker Jagadish Shettar,state unit president D V Sadanand Gowda and other rebel MLAs,have been summoned.

Expressing confidence that a solution would be found soon,a beleaguered Yeddyurappa said “the central leadership is aware of the differences of opinion that has surfaced among leaders in the state.”

Jaitley had assured him that the issue would be resolved smoothly,said Yeddyurappa,who is facing a fresh bout of dissidence led by Reddy brothers and their loyalist Sreeramulu.

Karunakara Reddy said “problems faced by MLAs have been brought to the attention of central leadership.”

The state needs “an able and good leadership” to ensure that the BJP government completes its five year term,Janardhana Reddy said.

Jaitley held discussions on Friday night with Jagadish Shettigar,who has emerged as a rallying point for rebels who are trying to project him to replace Yeddyurappa.

The first BJP government in the south was rocked by infighting after the influential Reddy brothers renewed their dissident activities,breaking the truce brought about a few months ago when they first raised the banner of revolt.

Striking back at the dissidents,Yeddyurappa had ordered mass transfer of officials of Bellary district from where the dissident ministers hail,and hinted at action against the rebel leaders,further angering them. Yeddyurappa said the issues will be resolved.