BJP Postpones Mysore Rally to Aug 14
Bangalore, Aug 7 (PTI) : The ruling BJP government in Karnataka today postponed from August 12 to 14 its 'Jan Jagruthi' rally at Mysore, a counter to the Congress padayatra over illegal mining issue, to facilitate participation of senior party leader L K Advani.
The rally is the third in the series of the four being held by the ruling party. The fourth will be held in Bellary on August 20.The BJP has already staged two such rallies in Davanagere and Gulbarga.
The party's core committee meeting, chaired by Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa debated various organisational issues, but not the question of cabinet reshuffle, state unit BJP President K S Eswarappa told reporters here.
"The issue of cabinet reshuffle did not come up for discussion at today's meeting," he said in reply to queries.
The meeting decided that a delegation of state MPs meet President Pratibha Patil to plead for her consent to the state's legislation to ban cow slaughter, he said.
Besides Eswarappa, the meeting was attended by National General Secretary H N Anantkumar, Rural Development Minister Jagadish Shettar, former president of the state unit D V Sadananda Gowda and RSS leader M Jayadev.
The meeting, which had two sittings -- at the official residence of Yeddyurappa in the morning and later at the residence of an industrialist, reportedly discussed appointment of chiefs to various Boards and Corporations.
Sources said some leaders disfavoured Yeddyurappa's idea to go in for cabinet expansion to fill up two existing vacancies and suggested that it be taken up after zilla panchayat and taluk panchayat elections.
They said Yeddyurappa stressed that he be permitted to reinduct Shobha Karandlaje, forced to resign as part of the truce between the BJP high command and dissidents led by Reddy brothers to douse the revolt in October last year.
Yeddyurappa is also pressing for the core committee approval to induct former minister V Somanna, who quit the ministry after his defeat in the assembly bypoll from Govindarajanagar constituency.
Meanwhile, Revenue minister G Karunakar Reddy denied reports that he was opposed to a ban on export of iron ore, "a decision which has already been welcomed."
He said he had only expressed his personal opinion to reporters yesterday by saying that mining owners should have been given two months time to lift stocks.