Sidelined? BSY says none can finish him off

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru/Koppal: Ahead of the crucial Assembly polls in Karnataka next year, this is the last thing the ruling BJP would have wanted to happen. On Thursday, former CM and the mascot of the dominant Lingayat community, BS Yediyurappa, burst a bombshell asserting that he has his own strength and no one can finish him off politically even while dismissing reports he is being neglected in the party.

The BJP is already struggling to face the challenge from a resurgent Congress with poor administrative performance and lack of unity among senior leaders adding to its woes. "There is no truth in the statement that I am being neglected. I am attending all the programmes," a brave-faced Yediyurappa, now in his eighties, told reporters in Bengaluru before leaving for the district headquarters town of Koppal, where the party's national President JP Nadda participated in a programme also attended by Bommai.

According to sources close to him, Yediyurappa had initially decided not to attend the Koppal event. On Thursday morning, he said he would participate in the programme. He said there is no need for people to invite him as it is his duty to attend party programmes.

Asked if he was not willing to go there because he got an invitation at the last minute, Yediyurappa said, "There is no truth in it. I was not in a position yesterday to go there. Because there was pressure to attend the event, I decided to participate".  

When asked whether there was any attempt to finish him off politically, the party veteran said, "No one can finish off anyone. I have strengthened the party and toiled to bring BJP to power. The entire state knows this." He also ruled out the possibility of becoming Chief Minister again.

Regarding his son B Y Vijayendra's electoral debut in the next Assembly elections, Yediyurappa said, "I have told Vijayendra to contest from Shikaripura. He will contest from the place decided by the party. The BJP's decision will be final." Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, meanwhile, rubbished reports of differences with his predecessor Yediyurappa.

"Mine is son and father relationship (with Yediyurappa). Hence, it (differences) will never happen on any occasion. Those who are expecting it will be disappointed," he said. The BJP leadership is acutely aware of the clout Yediyurappa enjoys in the state; the veteran leader had split the party ahead of the 2013 Assembly polls and formed his own outfit, the KJP, which ensured that the BJP was reduced to a paltry 40 odd seats in the state Assembly. The Congress rode to power winning over 100 seats with Siddaramaiah becoming CM.