From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Apr 3: Desperate to recapture the Chief Ministerial gaddi, the former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa raked up the leadership issue yet again and asked the BJP party high command to keep its promise to reinstate him soon.
''I am not setting any deadlines. I hope the BJP central leadership will take a decision on their promise,” he said.
The former chief minister, who has been time and again mounting pressure on the party’s national leadership to reinstate him in the coveted post, he was forced to quit in July last after the former Lokayukta Justice Santhosh Hegde’s final report on illegal mining, said the BJP national leadership was busy in the assembly polls in the five northern states and the subsequent Rajya Sabha polls.
The assembly polls in the five northern states, including Uttar Pradesh, and the Rajya Sabha polls have now been completed. ''I hope they will act on their promise now,” he said.
''I will not set any deadline. I am confident that my party high command will take a suitable decision at an appropriate time,” Yeddyurappa said.
He said the party leaders had promised him that they would reinstate him as Chief Minister after he was cleared of charges in illegal mining cases.
The Lingayat stalwart, who has taken time to tour the drought-hit areas, took the officials to task for not taking up the drought relief and rehabilitation work on a war-footing.
''During the last three-and-half years of my rule, the state had copious rains and even some North Karnataka areas faced flood situation,” he said pointing out that the State was faced with a severe drought situation this year.
Without directly blaming his successor D V Sadananda Gowda, who has been refusing to yield to the demands of Yeddyurppa and his supporters to quit and make way for the man who had installed him in the chief minister’s post, Yeddyurappa said it was unfortunate that as many as 123 out of the 176 taluks in 20 districts were reeling under drought conditions.
''The district in-charge secretaries have not visited their respective districts and reviewed drought relief works,” he said without bothering to speak on the MLAs and ministers who have been rallying behind him and staying in resorts or organising the birthday celebrations to mark his 70th birthday even as the people in their constituencies were suffereing.
Yeddyurappa asked the government to ensure drinking water and fodder in drought-affectred districts and take steps to provide water and fodder to the cattle and also provide employment to the people.