BJP top brass strategising on removing Yediyurappa as CM, alleges HDK

Team Udayavani, Nov 23, 2019, 9:50 AM IST

Bengaluru: JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Friday alleged that BJPs central leaders were strategising on removing Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa from the top post.

The former chief minister also reiterated about his party’s aim to defeat disqualified legislators contesting the December 5 bypolls to 15 assembly constituencies in the state.

“More than me, central BJP leaders were strategising in Delhi about how soon they can remove Yediyurappa (as Chief Minister)… how to remove him,” Kumaraswamy said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said the by-elections were taking place amid confusion in all political parties.

Asked whether Yediyurappa government will not last long, he said “Let’s see on December 9 (bypoll results date).

He (Yediyurappa) himself has reportedly (told his cabinet colleagues) that the recently held cabinet meeting should not be last one…he himself lacks confidence.”

The ruling BJP needs to win at least six seats in the bypolls to remain in a majority in the 224-member assembly, which will still have two vacant seats– Maski and R R Nagar.

JD(S) leaders, who have indicated that they don’t want mid-term polls, have already stated that a call will be taken on the party’s role, in case the ruling BJP loses majority, only after the results are out.

Clarifying that his call for the defeat of disqualified legislators, who are now BJP candidates, does not mean joining hands with the Congress, Kumaraswamy said I’m not saying that Congress should win, I’m saying that 15 disqualified legislators should lose.

Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah too recently said the main objective of Congress and its erstwhile alliance partner JD(S) in the byelections was to defeat defectors from the two parties who are now the BJP candidates.

However, he made it clear that the path of the two parties in achieving the objective was different.

The Congress and JD(S), who ran a coalition government for 14 months and contested Lok Sabha polls in alliance, have parted ways ever since the collapse of the Kumaraswamy ministry in July following the rebellion by 17 MLAs and are contesting the bypolls independently.

The bypolls were necessitated after the resignation and subsequent disqualification of the 17 legislators by then assembly speaker K R Ramesh Kumar in July after the fall of the Congress-JDS government that paved the way for the BJP to come to power.

Though Ramesh Kumar disqualified the MLAs till the end of the term of the present assembly in 2023, the Supreme Court recently allowed them to contest the bypolls following which they joined the BJP.

With winning majority seats crucial for the government’s survival, the BJP has fielded 13 disqualified legislators as party candidates from their respective constituencies.

Kumaraswamy said JD(S) has taken the bypolls “seriously” and party workers will not let go Mahalakshmi Layout assembly constituency, one of the 15 constituencies going to the bypolls, easily.

Targeting BJP candidate in Mahalakshmi Layout- Gopaliah, who was disqualified from JD(S), he alleged police machinery was being misused to threaten JD(S) workers.

“We will not fear it, we have seen it enough…we are determined to defeat him (Gopalaiah) and teach him a lesson.”

Also targeting Union Minister Sadananda Gowda, Kumaraswamy said “he is doing politics based on the votes garnered in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.