The BJP has made it clear that BS Yediyurappa will continue as the chief minister of Karnataka till the end of his term.
Dismissing all speculations over the leadership change in the state, BJP General Secretary and Karnataka party in-charge Arun Singh said that there was no question of removal of Yediyurappa as he was taking care of all sections of the society. He also ruled out the possibility of the party forming an alliance with the JD(S).
"I have said a number of times, he (Yediyurappa) is our CM, he will remain CM. Under his leadership (we are going) he is taking care of all sections of the society. He is one of the prominent leaders of the party here," Singh was quoted as saying by The News Minute.
Responding to persistent questions on the leadership change in the state, he said, "why do you raise such hypothetical imaginary questions? I can't reply."
Senior MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal had in October claimed that Yediyurappa will not remain Chief Minister for long and that the high command has decided that his successor will be from the north Karnataka region.
Reacting to a query regarding Yatnal's statements, Singh said, "Any karyakarta (worker) or any leader, small or big, has to speak within the limits. If somebody has the problem one can come and discuss one-to-one because there is internal democracy in our party, but speaking publicly is not right”.
Maintaining that the cabinet expansion was Chief Minister's prerogative, Singh said it will happen soon. "It will happen soon; it is the prerogative of the Chief Minister. I can only say- it will happen soon," he said in response to a question.
Meanwhile, former Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy, on Sunday, warned the BJP and accused them of systematically fanning rumours of JD(S) joining NDA. In a series of tweets, the JD(S) legislature party chief accused the BJP of attempting to erode the party’s base by planting such rumours. He said the party "does not need BJP's friendship”.
“This is the reason why BJP was trying to play the phoney drama of alliance. This is the reason why it is systematically spreading imaginary news about JD(S) joining NDA. This is absolutely false," Kumaraswamy tweeted.
Claiming that he shares a better bonding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi than many state BJP leaders do and has respect for Chief Minister Yediyurappa's seniority, he said the intention of JD(S) was not to be an opposition party just for the sake of opposing.
