Yeddy is like my brother; fighting him only to save BJP: Eshwarappa

Vijayapura, May 3: Accusing State BJP president B.S. Yeddyurappa of taking unilateral decisions, party leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Council K.S. Eshwarappa has said that dissatisfaction among party leaders was rising as Mr. Yeddyurappa was not making efforts to take them into confidence.

Addressing presspersons here on Tuesday, he said that despite the BJP central leadership making him the leader of the four-member committee to visit districts where the party was facing differences among its leaders, Mr. Yeddyurappa has not visited such districts.

Without mentioning the names of such districts, Mr. Eshwarappa, however, made it clear that the reason for the differences in the party was the prominence being given to those leaders who have come from the erstwhile KJP, while side-lining core BJP leaders.

Stating that he has no personal enmity with Mr. Yeddyurappa, he said that Mr. Yeddyurappa was the undisputed leader of the party. He, however, said that he was fighting against Mr. Yeddyurappa only to save the party. “I consider him (Mr. Yeddyurappa) as my brother, but it I can’t keep quiet when his decisions are creating bickering within the party,” he said.

Exuding the confidence that the BJP would come to power in next Assembly election, he, however, cautioned that if the differences within the party are not resolved, then it would again be a repeat of “resort politics” [referring to the episode during the BJP rule in the State the last time].

“We have seen in the past during our government when a majority of the time was spent in taking MLAs to resorts to save the government. I don’t want such type of resort politics; thus, I am fighting for resolving the differences within before going to the polls,” he said.

Trying to downplay the prevailing differences between his faction and Mr. Yeddyurappa’s camp, the veteran leader said that it was a temporary problem which the party would tide over soon.

“No need for the Congress and the Janata Dal (S) to be happy over our differences as both parties are thinking of gaining political mileage out of the situation. It is a temporary phase which will pass off soon,” he said.

With regard to his Sangolli Rayanna Brigade, he made it clear that he would continue to be part of it. He clarified that the party’s national president, Amit Shah, has asked him to continue the activities of the brigade.

To a question, he made it clear that though he would not voluntarily go to Delhi to meet national party leaders, he would not waste time in meeting them if they summoned him.