Reddy brothers snub Yeddyurappa, refuse to meet him (Lead)

The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) efforts to resolve the political crisis in Karnataka hit a roadblock Thursday with the dissident Reddy brothers, who are also ministers, snubbing Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa's overtures and refusing to meet him.

Backed by the national leaders, Yeddyurappa arrived in Delhi late Wednesday and sent feelers to state Tourism Minister G. Janardhana Reddy and his elder brother and Revenue Minister G. Karunakara Reddy.

"I will be meeting the Reddys today (Thursday)... Will hold talks with the national leaders.... The issue will be resolved by evening," a confident Yeddyurappa, the BJP's first chief minister in south India, said in the morning.

But the billionaire brothers from Bellary would have none of it.

I am not going to meet chief minister at all, an adamant Janardhana Reddy told reporters in the presence of Sushma Swaraj.

Yeddyurappa has already met BJP leader Sushma Swaraj and is scheduled to meet party president Rajnath Singh.

The dissidents, led by the Reddys, have rejected the plea of the party president and senior leader L.K. Advani to allow Yeddyurappa to continue as chief minister.

The Reddys stuck to their demand Wednesday after the third round of talks with senior leader Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi.

The Reddy brothers are billionaire iron ore mine owners and claim the support of over 70 of the 117 party legislators in the 225-member state assembly.

The BJP leadership has been holding hectic deliberations in New Delhi with both factions over the past three days to end the differences that are threatening to bring down the party's first government in the south.

In the May 2008 polls, the BJP won 110 of the 224 elected seats in the 225-member assembly. It formed the government with the help of six independents, five of whom have been rewarded with ministership. The Reddys are believed to have won over the Independents using their financial clout.

Later, the Reddys also lured more than half a dozen Congress and Janata Dal-Secular legislators to the BJP.

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( 349 Words)

2009-11-05-14:07:49 (IANS)

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