Reddys refuse to budge,Karnataka crisis drags on

“In the interest of BJP and the workers in Karnataka,we need a very good leadership in the state. Whatever my stand is,I am not changing,” said Tourism Minister Janardhan Reddy,after meeting senior leader Sushma Swaraj.

Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa arrives in the capital late on Wednesday and he’s scheduled to meet central leaders on Thursday.

In Bangalore,Revenue Minister G Karunakar Reddy returned to work on Tuesday for a video conference with officials in the flood-affected districts of the state,but there was no indication of a let-up in the crisis.

Soon after the meeting,Karunakar said no compromise had been struck following the his brother Janardhan’s meetings with senior national BJP leaders.

Karunakar claimed there was no question of abandoning MLAs who had backed them by agreeing to a compromise where the demand for a change of leadership was not addressed.

“Reports that we have agreed to a compromise are incorrect. Some national leaders have expressed their own views. The BJP leadership has,however,not decided anything,” he said,denying BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley’s remarks in Bangalore last week that there was no question of a change in leadership. “Our stand on the issue of change of leadership is firm. We are very firm that good leadership has to come in.”

The Karnataka Revenue Minister claimed that the rebel group had not placed any demands with the central BJP leadership for the dropping of ministers and Yeddyurappa associates from the administration,for a reshuffle of ministries and for greater administrative control in the Reddy brothers’ iron ore-rich home district of Bellary.

“There have been no demands made by Janardhan Reddy,Karunakar Reddy,Sreeramulu. There are a lot of problems faced by the MLAs and the national leaders have been briefed about everything. There is no personal agenda or demands. The only demand is change of leadership,” he said.

Karunakar did not rule out resignations by the rebels in the event of a decision of the national leadership of the BJP not going in their favour. “We have not reached that point yet,” he said.

In other signs of the continuing crisis,senior BJP minister Suresh Kumar,who is in favour of Yeddyurappa continuing as Chief Minister,has written letters to all 117 BJP MLAs,including as many as 60 holed up in hotels in Goa and Hyderabad as supporters of the Reddy group,to introspect on the damage the crisis is doing to the BJP.

Kumar’s written plea came even as four legislators,including senior minister K S Eshwarappa,considered neutral in the Yeddyurappa versus Reddys battle flew to New Delhi to tell leaders that the party is more important than individuals.