Yeddy Visits Belgaum Suvarna Soudha like 'Cat Among Pigeons'

From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Belgaum, Dec 7: Like the proverbial ''setting the cat among the pigeons," former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who is set to take over as the chief of his own regional party – Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) – at Haveri on Sunday, donned the role of the cat himself by personally visiting the Suvarna Soudha in Belgaum and met his loyalist ministerial and BJP legislator supporters in a bid to directly challenge the BJP leadership to take disciplinary action against them and even to create confusion within the ruling party circles.

Yeddyurappa, who has already tendered his resignation as BJP MLA from Shikaripur in Shimoga district and has severed all his ties with BJP by renouncing even his primary membership of the party, held confabulations with his band of loyalist ministerial supporters as well as MLAs and MLCs of BJP knowing fully well that it would be an open challenge to the State BJP leadership to crack the whip as is being publicly threatened by State BJP President K S Eshwarappa, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister.

Fortunately, the Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar saved himself the embarrassment of a personal meeting with Yeddyurappa in the Suvarna Soudha, which is presently hosting the winter session of the State legislature, as the latter had left to Delhi last night along State Water Resources Minister Basavaraja Bommai, who has also been identified as a Yeddyurappa loyalist, for their meeting with State's MPs from the Cauvery basin for meeting Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who is the Cauvery River Authority chairman, and Union Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat, who is the Cauvery Monitoring Committee chairman.

Cabinet ministers in the Shettar regime – Shobha Karandlaje, C M Udasi, Umesh V Katti, Murugesh Nirani, V Somanna and B J Puttaswamy – were prominent among those who held consulations with their ''leader'' in the Central Hall of the Suvarna Soudha.

Several BJP MLAs and MLCs were seen having discussions with the former chief minister in the full glare of the media, even though the latter were prevented from finding out what transpired in the discussions.

However, Yeddyurappa himself made it clear that he had personally come to call on the legislators, including ministers, to attend a breakfast at Public Works Minister C M Udasi's residence.

The Lingayat strongman is believed to have advised all his supporters to attend the breakfast meeting, which would prove their loyalty to him while avoiding any possible embarrassment to them for openly associating with the launch of his KJP at the Haveri public rally while remaining as ministers or legislators of BJP. ''All the supporters can conveniently join the party after the schedule for the State Assembly polls are announced" was reported to be Yeddyurappa's advice.

MLAs and Ministers, who are loyal to Yeddyurappa, were seen in a jubilant mood by the visit of their leader. They expressed their desire to make the Haveri event a grand success.

"I am not here to invite my MLAs and ministers for the convention in Haveri. Ministers and MLAs had requested me to come here to join breakfast and also to Suvarna Soudha. As I had already told, I requested MLAs not to attend Haveri meeting", former Chief Minister said.

Yeddyurpapa also held discussions with Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah, Congress Opposition leader Siddaramaiah and JD(S) leader M C Nanaiah, on Cauvery issue.

Asked about the Supreme Court's directive to Karnataka for releasing 10,000 cusecs of water daily from December 5 till December 9 and ask the Cauvery Monitoring Committee to ascertain the quantum of water required for the standing crops in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, Yeddyurappa said the State was not in a position to release any water to the neighbouring State.

''The State Government should use all its persuasive powers to convince the Centre regarding Karnataka's inability to release water," he said and pointed out that all the ministers in the BJP Government headed by Jagadish Shettar should quit en-masse if the State was forced to release water disregarding the plight of the farmers in the Cauvery basin and the people of Bangalore, Mandya, Mysore and other towns depending on Cauvery water for their drinking water requirements.

He mentioned that he suggested to Speaker K G Bopaiah to adjourn the House for two days to facilitate the Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar to parade all MLAs, MLCs and MPs before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on Cauvery issue.

''I had suggested the Speaker to adjourn the House for two days as it would help the ruling party to take all MLAs to Delhi to explain the Prime Minister about severe of drought and shortage water in reservoirs," he said pointing out that it was necessary to unitedly fight for protecting the interests of the State and its farmers.