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They are taking away bad publicity associated with the party: Minister

The State BJP on Wednesday termed the resignation of two ministers and announcement by 11 MLAs loyal to former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa that they would quit their Assembly membership as a “drama” and, that they were “playing to the gallery”.

“They knew that the Speaker was not in station. Yet, they stormed into the Speaker’s office and pressured the staff to accept their resignation letters. This shows that were playing to the gallery,” BJP co-spokespersons and MLCs D S Veeraiah and Ashwathnarayana told reporters in Bangalore.

Ashwathnarayana said the legislators, particularly the two ministers, had betrayed the party.

“They enjoyed the privileges bestowed on them by the party. The party gave the ticket to Shobha Karandlaje to contest from the Yeshwanthpur constituency and ensured her victory from Bangalore, where she had no base. Despite being a first time MLA, the party made her a minister,” the MLC said.

They demanded B S Yeddyurappa to offer a public apology for addressing Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar in the singular during a media interaction on Wednesday.

BJP prepared

Sources in the BJP said the party would not attach too much importance to Wednesday’s developments. The BJP was even prepared to face a trust vote on the floor of the House and emerge victorious as it had the numbers in its favour, a BJP functionary said.

‘BJP cleansed’

Environment Minister Sogadu Shivanna said that the exit of the 13 rebel MLAs would actually “cleanse or purge” the BJP of all its bad ‘karma.”

He told reporters that the outgoing MLAs were actually taking away all the allegations and bad publicity associated with BJP and, that the party was in the process of being purified.

“A few more MLAs are yet to leave, and when they do that, the party will be rid of all the bad elements. Th Kannada saying – ‘Unduhoda, konduhoda’-– and aptly applies to these MLAs. I feel ashamed of Yeddyurappa’s conduct,” the minister said.

Shivanna said that Yeddyurappa had no reason to be upset with the BJP. It was he who had indulged in groupism and lobbied for a change in leadership, he added.

Yet, after the installation of D V Sadananda Gowda and Jagadish Shettar as chief
ministers, the former chief minister continued with his “antics”.