Yeddyurappa stares at dead end as deadlines fizzle out

Bangalore, Jan 13: Another deadline set by KJP leader B S Yeddyurappa to topple the State government is taking on the impression of being a farce.

His professed loyalists in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who have kept him on tenterhooks, with promises of joining the KJP, are now said to have forced him to abandon the Sankranti deadline to bring down the government.

Yeddyurappa had vowed to bring down the government on January 4, charging the Jagadish Shettar government with depriving the poor of benefits, promised under various social welfare programmes rolled out during his tenure as chief minister.

But he abruptly deferred the deadline to Sankranti festival on January 14.

Many Cabinet ministers and legislators loyal to the KJP leader are said to have recently told him that they need more time as they are unprepared to stick to his latest deadline.

Sources said that they have also expressed a claim to want to get as much benefits from the government as possible ahead of the elections, which are likely to be held before the end of May.

Sources said Shettar has lured Yeddyurappa loyalists by promising special development grants to their constituencies, which will be very crucial for them in the next polls.

The chief minister can also announce attractive projects in the 2013-14 budget, likely to be presented next month. Consequently, many legislators have been dragging their feet on joining hands with Yeddyurappa, to topple the government.

False friends

The fact that many of loyalists are now chosing to backtrack on their promises to join the KJP, has made Yeddyurappa jittery.

Except for Shobha Karandlaje, none of the ministers who claim to be Yeddyurappa loyalists, has so far given even the slightest hint of joining the KJP. On the contrary, many of them have, off the record, expressed their strong inclination to remain in the BJP or join another party.

The KJP leaders feel that ministers like V Somanna, Umesh Katti, Raju Gouda, Murugesh Nirani, Basavaraj Bommai, Renukacharya and C M Udasi and other loyalists, who were initially enthustaistic about the party, have now quietly distanced themselves from Yeddyurappa.

Actually, the KJP leader’s strength has dwindled from about 60 to 21 legislators (including ministers) — all in the span of about six months. It is said that the number will come down further.

This is because a majority of his supporters are said to be gradually realising the harsh reality and the high risk they face by joining a regional party that has no base.

For many, caste combinations in their respective constituencies do not favour them if they join Yeddyurappa’s party: The KJP is widely believed to have some influence over Lingayat voters in north Karnataka. Yeddyurappa is the only appealing factor and not the KJP as such.

Above all, the ruling BJP appears to be playing the cards right as far as Yeddyurappa is concerned.

Its recent decision to project Shettar as the chief ministerial candidate in the next polls is aimed at stealing Yeddyurappa of his influence over the dominant Lingayat community.

It is one of the strong factors which has left many Lingayat BJP legislators reconsidering their decision to join the KJP, sources said.