Rebels likely to accept Yeddyurappa's concession

The efforts to find a solution to the problems in Karnataka BJP seem to have yielded results with the rebels 'agreeing' to accept the compromise deal offered by Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to drop his close aide Shobha Karandlaje from the Cabinet and shift out his Principal Secretary V P Baligar from the Chief Minister's Office. In a day of fluctuating fortunes, the Chief Minister held a series of meetings visiting Leaders of Opposition in both Houses -- L K Advani and Arun Jaitley, BJP president Rajnath Singh and senior party leaders M Venkaiah Naidu, Sushma Swaraj. Tourism Minister G Janardhana Reddy who represented the rebels in the meeting 'accepted' the proposals offered by the Chief Minister with a promise to return tomorrow after consulting with his other members of the group, Karnataka BJP sources said. The Chief Minister conceding the two major demands of the rebels weakens his position as the leader but that was the price he had to pay for buying peace. The leadership on its part seem to have given face savers for both sides by rejecting the demand for change of leadership while making the Chief Minister change his style of functioning. Sources in the BJP said that the solution had been thrashed out and the announcement could be made in the presence of both Mr Reddy and the Chief Minister. The Reddy brothers had led the rebellion claiming the support of 60 of the 118 BJP MLAs in the 224 member Karnataka assembly. BJP president Rajnath Singh told reporters after his meeting with Mr Yeddyurappa that the leadership change proposal was never before the party but it was confident of finding a solution very soon.

Karnataka BJP president K Sadananda Gowda too asserted that there was no question of leadership change.

The troubles between the rebels and the loyalists became public after the Reddy brothers went ahead with the foundation stone laying function for a housing project without the Chief Minister. The CM on his part retaliated by transferring the district administration and police chiefs, believed to be close to Reddy brothers having mining interests in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

-- (UNI) -- 05DI63.xml

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