Sending a strong political message to the Bharatiya Janata Party State president B.S. Yeddyurappa, the Central leadership is learnt to have axed his key follower Shobha Karandlaje from the list of names proposed by him for appointment to the party’s highest decision-making body of the State core committee.
According to sources in the BJP, the Central leadership finalised the new State core committee on Wednesday without including the names of Mr. Yeddyurappa’s close followers such as Ms. Karandlaje and State general secretary Ravikumar. The only prominent leader from Mr. Yeddyurappa’s camp to have made it to the committee is former Minister C.M. Udasi, it is learnt.
Mr. Yeddyurappa, who is facing the wrath of the party old-timers for allegedly not consulting them before making appointments to the team of State and district office-bearers, had also tried to restructure the core committee by proposing to increase its size from the normal level of 10 to 12 members to 22 members.
He had proposed to do this by axing some old-timers like former State president Pralhad Joshi and including his supporters such as Ms. Karandlaje.
The Central leadership, which had then thwarted him from going ahead with the restructuring of core committee, has now finalised the new committee. While the names of other members were not available, sources confirmed that Mr. Yeddyurappa’s key aides had been kept out to send a political message to him.
The formation of the new core committee has come close on the heels of Tuesday’s expansion of the Narendra Modi Ministry, in which Mr. Yeddyurappa’s key follower G.M. Siddeshwar is set to lose his Ministerial position. It is learnt that Mr. Siddeshwar is expected to resign within a few days from the Ministry in the wake of veteran MP and Dalit leader Ramesh Jigajinagi from the State joining the Ministry.
Meanwhile, at a meeting held here on Wednesday to take stock of progress of its various wings, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leaders too are learnt to have sternly advised Mr. Yeddyurappa against “taking unilateral decisions”.
It may be noted that the dissatisfied old-timers of the party had even complained to the high command against Mr. Yeddyurappa. On his part, Mr. Yeddyurappa had maintained that he had consulted all leaders before making appointments to the State and district office-bearers’ team and had also warned the disgruntled leaders of initiating disciplinary action if they continued to make public statements regarding this.
Sources confirmed that Yeddyurappa’s key aides have been kept out to send a political message to him
