Bangalore: No word from BJP central leaders; will decide at right time: Yeddy
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Dec 9: Former Chief Minister and KJP leader B S Yeddyurappa declared on Monday that he will take a decision on the future course of action at the appropriate time as none of the Central BJP leaders had contacted him so far despite efforts by several leaders from the state unit, including its president Prahlad Joshi and former chief ministers D V Sadananda Gowda and Jagadish Shettar to bring back the Lingayat leader into the party fold well before the ensuing lok sabha polls.
''I have not set any preconditions nor interested in getting any special favours from anybody,” the former chief minister said addressing the KJP state executive meeting specially convened to take stock of the prevailing political situation in the state and in the country.
Yeddyurappa said he would await a clear message from the BJP central leadership before making up his mind on whether to join the party or not.
Referring to newspaper reports and speculation in political circles on the decision of the BJP central leaders to invite him for homecoming into the party, Yeddyurappa said he would first like to the actual situation.
"I will take an appropriate decision at the appropriate time," he said on repeated queries about his return to BJP, which he had quit before forming his own KJP outfit at Haveri exactly a year ago.
Yeddyurappa, whose party garnered 10 per cent vote share in the May 5 Assembly polls that and prevented the then ruling BJP from returning to power, was mainly responsible for Congress party’s victory.
''I have not received any message from BJP central leaders,” he told his partymen and made it said: ''I will wait. I will first see what exactly is in their minds and then we will be able to decide.”
''There is no urgency for me to rejoin BJP. It is for the BJP leadership to decide whether they need me or not,” he said.
Yeddyurappa, who headed the BJP’s first ever government in the south, turned a rebel after he was forced to resign in as Chief Minister in 2011 following his indictment in the report on illegal mining by the then Lokayukta.
The KJP leader said he had written to NDA Chairman L K Advani expressing his party’s intention to be part of the BJP-led combine but had not received any reply so far.
Yeddyurappa, however, said he was an admirer of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
''Modi was instrumental along with the performance of the respective state governments and the loyal party workers in spectacular performance of the party in the recent assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh,” he said.
Yeddyurappa also praised anti-corruption activist turned politician, Arvind Kejriwal, for the debut of his nascent Aam Aadmi Party in the Delhi Assembly elections.
''Arvind Kejrival has set an example and showed that any bona fide struggle for people would always pay dividends and get popular support,” the KJP leader said.
Yeddyurappa also had a word of praise for Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son and Congress Vice Presidednt Rahul Gandhi for their "courage and grace” in accepting the Assembly polls verdict and declaring that they would strive to rebuild the party despite its decimation in the assembly elections.
The KJP leader said he was ''impressed” by Rahul Gandhi’s open admission that he will learn lessons from how AAP connected with the common people while established national parties like Congress and BJP could not as was evidenced by the Delhi assembly results.
''It is only when you are willing to learn from your mistakes and also have the humility to take humility from others that you will be able to succeed,” he said indirectly suggesting that the State BJP leadership as well as the party’s high command was yet to learn the appropriate lessons from the May assembly polls defeat in Karnataka.