The Hindu : Karnataka News : BJP getting ready for any eventuality

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Saturday, Sep 29, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

BJP getting ready for any eventuality

Special Correspondent

Collection of resignation of its Ministers being examined

BJP leaders still confident on power transfer
Meeting of party Ministers on Monday

Bangalore: Getting ready to face any eventuality, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State unit is examining the possibility of collecting resignation letters of its Ministers on October 1, at a meeting of party Ministers to be held on that day.

These resignation letters would be forwarded to Chief Minster H.D. Kumaraswamy on October 2 after 6 p.m., if there is no clear word by then from the Janata Dal (S) on the transfer of power, sources in the BJP told The Hindu.

As per the power-sharing pact between the ruling coalition partners, the JD(S) is supposed to hand over the Chief Minister’s post to the BJP on October 3.

However, the possibility of the party seeking the resignation of its Ministers would depend on the developments in the next couple of days and the response of the Janata Dal (S) towards transfer of power, the sources said.

They also said that the party was not interested in precipitating the issue and hence the resignation weapon would be tried out only as a last resort, if things went against the party. The BJP leaders are still confident that the transfer of power will take place. They claim that the Janata Dal (S) is giving anxious moments only to ensure that it would not lose its dominance after the transfer of power. The party would decide in a couple of days the action to be taken on the episode of Tourism Minister B. Sriramulu charging Mr. Kumaraswamy with hatching a conspiracy to murder him.

Interestingly, Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa abstained from an important function organised in Bangalore to present the Basavashri award to the former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in which he was supposed to share the dais with Mr. Kumaraswamy.

Instead, Mr. Yediyurappa went on a pilgrimage trip to Mysore and surrounding areas.

Sources close to the Chief Minister said he was particularly upset with Mr. Yediyurappa for his “indifference” towards the episode of the BJP Minister’s murder plot charges. But, the BJP sources argued that the Janata Dal (S) should not link the Sriramulu episode with the transfer of power and maintained that both were separate issues.

Sinha arrives

BJP vice-president and party’s Karnataka in-charge Yashwant Sinha arrived in Bangalore on Friday night. Soon after his arrival Mr. Sinha met party senior leaders and took stock of the situation at an undisclosed destination.

On Saturday morning, Mr. Sinha is expected to meet Janata Dal (S) president H.D. Deve Gowda to discuss about some of the objections raised by the Janata Dal (S). After this, Mr. Sinha would attend a meeting of prominent BJP leaders.

He would place before the meeting the views of Mr. Deve Gowda.

After discussing the issue at the party forum, he is again expected to meet Mr. Deve Gowda to convey the party’s stand.

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