Dissidents insist on Yeddyurappa's removal

Bangalore/New Delhi, Nov 7 : Karnataka Tourism Minister G. Janardhana Reddy, who leads the campaign for the removal of Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, Saturday rubbished reports of a compromise between the warring groups and said there was no change in his stand on the leadership issue.

"From the beginning I am saying that in the interest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Karnataka, there should be a better leadership. I stand by it," he told a crowded press meet here after talks with his elder brother and Revenue Minister G. Karunakara Reddy and Health Minister B. Sriramalu.

"I expect our central leaders will take a very right, very correct and good decision in the next two, three days," Janardhana Reddy said with Sriramalu by his side.

On Yeddyurappa's statement in New Delhi that he (Yeddyurappa) has accepted the compromise formula proposed by the central party leaders, Janardhana Reddy angrily countered: "Has it (formula) been discussed in front of you?"

He repeated his charges against Yeddyurappa that he was "surrounded by evil forces" and he was putting hurdles in the efforts of Reddy brothers, Sriramalu and their supporters in providing relief to the flood affected in north Karnataka.

The Reddys want to construct 50,000 houses for the flood-hit from the funds they have contributed and raised from other iron ore mine owners. The Reddys are billionaire mining magnates from Bellary, about 400 km from Bangalore.

"The head of the house (yajaman, as he has been referring to Yeddyurappa) is apprehensive that our popularity in north Karnataka will go up if our rehabilitation efforts are successful," Janardhana Reddy said.

He claimed that Yeddyurappa had transferred over 60 officials since the Reddy brothers launched the programme to construct houses for the flood hit.

Over 500,000 houses were damaged in the Sep 30-Oct 2 rain and floods that claimed over 200 lives.

Janardhana Reddy came to Bangalore from Hyderabad Saturday after talks with dissident ministers and legislators who have been staying in a luxury hotel there for over a week.

Before leaving for Bangalore, he told reporters that "the party leaders have not given us any such thing (compromise formula)".

Janardhana Reddy's reiteration of the dissidents' stand came as Yeddyurappa claimed in New Delhi that "everything has been resolved".

Yeddyurappa told reporters before leaving for Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir that he was "thankful to the party leadership for reposing faith in me. I will take everyone into confidence," he added.

According to reports, the compromise formula comprises dropping some ministers close to Yeddyurappa, making assembly speaker Jagadish Shettar a minister, setting up a coordination committee to oversee functioning of the government, final say for the Reddy brothers in posting officials in their home district Bellary and transfer of the chief minister's principal secretary V.P. Baligar.

Yeddyurappa Friday shunted out Baligar as principal secretary of the industries and commerce department. He also agreed to drop the lone woman minister Shobha Karandlaje, who holds the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj portfolio.

--IANS