DVS takes a dig at BSY; Urges national leadership to appoint State BJP Prez immediately

Addressing media persons at his residence in Mangalore on Wednesday, Mr. Gowda took a dig at his predecessor and fellow partyman B S Yeddyurappa for his statement that K S Eshwarappa must resign from the Deputy Chief Minister's post and continue being the State BJP President. “Some of our party leaders are giving statements in public about the State BJP President's post. All this is doing is fueling confusion among our party activists and also the people. I urge our national leadership to intervene immediately and put an end to the chaos by appointing the State party President. The more it is postponed, the more confusion and friction will it create”, he said.

Mr. Gowda said party leaders like Mr. Yeddyurappa must understand their responsibilities and not discuss such issues in public. “No one is above the party. We have all risen as leaders because of the party. The national leadership is there to take a call. Even if there are things to be discussed or suggested, they are to be done amongst ourselves and not to be spoken out in the public. On 28 and 29, there is a national party meet and I hope that our senior leaders will take a call on this before that”, he said.

On tomorrow's nationwide bundh call given by NDA, Mr. Gowda said that UPA government's policies are the reason for price rise. “It is something that even UPA allies and economic experts are agreeing with. The stand taken by Mayavati should be welcomed. But DMK is displaying double standards. It is time UPA allies realized their folly. The Lok Sabha must be dissolved and the Congress must make preparations to face elections”, he said.

When asked about the Assembly elections which are not far away, Mr. Gowda said that people are still with the BJP. “Yes we may have lost the Udupi-Chikmagalur elections but circumstances at that time were not in our favour owing to the blue film and Malpe rave party issues. But we all saw later that in the MLC elections in Graduates and Teachers' constituencies, we fared better than before and those voters are not illiterate, uneducated voters”, he said.

However, Mr. Gowda admitted that there are differences among BJP partymen in the state. “Yes there are differences and hence I am urging the national leadership to intervene, or else BJP might go the Congress way in Karnataka owing to its divisions”, the former Chief Minister warned.