The BJP central leadership remained clueless on how to handle the crisis that has emerged in Karnataka, after former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa formally quit the party on Friday. The BJP leader from Karnataka also resigned from the membership of the state assembly and will now lead Karnataka Janata Party (KJP), a political outfit he recently floated.
Though a formal statement was not made by the leadership in Delhi, BJP vice-president, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi tried putting up a brave front in view of the crisis that has emerged in the southern state. ‘This is unfortunate, but BJP is a cadre based party and this type of defection does not affect the party,’ said Naqvi.
Yeddyurappa’s exit from the BJP though may not have an immediate effect on the survival of the government in Karnataka, but it will be tough to replace a leader who had such a towering presence and also had a substantial hold over the socially and politically powerful Lingayat community in the state.
The decision to leave the party by the Lingayat leader comes almost after a year long hectic negotiations by the BJP leadership, where they tried to placate Yeddyurappa. The BJP leader was forced to resign after he was indicted by a Lokayukta report on illegal mining.
In a terse letter that was faxed to BJP president Nitin Gadkari, the former chief minister alleged that the party has deceived him. ‘I think you failed to keep your promises and my suspicion is that a couple of leaders conspired and prevailed upon you and the party not to implement the promises made to me,’ said Yeddyurappa in his letter to Gadkari.
Yeddyurappa also attacked the party president for failing to understand the political situation in the state and making him scapegoat to make somebody else chief minister.
Though a formal statement was not made by the leadership in Delhi, BJP vice-president, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi tried putting up a brave front in view of the crisis that has emerged in the southern state. ‘This is unfortunate, but BJP is a cadre based party and this type of defection does not affect the party,’ said Naqvi.
Yeddyurappa’s exit from the BJP though may not have an immediate effect on the survival of the government in Karnataka, but it will be tough to replace a leader who had such a towering presence and also had a substantial hold over the socially and politically powerful Lingayat community in the state.
The decision to leave the party by the Lingayat leader comes almost after a year long hectic negotiations by the BJP leadership, where they tried to placate Yeddyurappa. The BJP leader was forced to resign after he was indicted by a Lokayukta report on illegal mining.
In a terse letter that was faxed to BJP president Nitin Gadkari, the former chief minister alleged that the party has deceived him. ‘I think you failed to keep your promises and my suspicion is that a couple of leaders conspired and prevailed upon you and the party not to implement the promises made to me,’ said Yeddyurappa in his letter to Gadkari.
Yeddyurappa also attacked the party president for failing to understand the political situation in the state and making him scapegoat to make somebody else chief minister.