10/05/2012 - Myclipp

The Economic Times/ - News, Sáb, 12 de Maio de 2012
CLIPPING INTERNACIONAL (Supreme Court)
Crisis in Karnataka BJP worsens, seven
ministers ready to quit
BANGALORE: In escalation of factional feud in ruling
BJP in Karnataka, seven ministers and six MLAs loyal
to state BJP strongman B S Yeddyurappa tonight
handed over their resignations to him, pressing for
leadership change in the state and triggering a fresh
bout of crisis in the state unit of the party.
The Yeddyurappa loyalists, who have been pressing
their demand after chief minister D V Sadananda
Gowda complained to BJP president Nitin Gadkari
about the "anti-party" activities indulged in by some
ministers, have decided to come out of the ministry,
sources in Yeddyurappa camp said.
Ministers Shobha Karandlaje, Basavaraj Bommai,
Umesh Katti, C M Udasi, V Somanna, M P
Renukacharya and Murugesh Nirani submitted their
resignation letters to Yeddyurappa this evening, they
said.
"Our leader is free to take any decision on our
resignation. Since we have been accused of indulging
in anti-party activities, though we have not done
anything, we chose to quit", one of the ministers said.
The sources also said at least six MLAs have also
handed over their resignation from the assembly to
Yeddyurappa.
The letters were handed over to Yeddyurappa at a
meeting held at his residence, they said.
Yeddyurappa has been holding consultations with his
loyalists a day after the Supreme Court ordered a CBI
probe against him in connection with illegal mining.
Efforts by RSS leader Satish to mollify Yeddyurappa
and persuade him not to take any hasty step has failed
to yield results after both the leaders met briefly today.
About 38 MLAs, including some ministers, have
already shot off a letter to Gowda demanding
convening of an emergent legislature party meeting to
discuss party affairs in the state and his complaint to
the party central leadership, which the chief minister
has rejected.
On March 24, Gowda and state BJP president K S
Eswarappa sent a letter seeking action against some
ministers, loyal to Yeddyurappa accusing them of
indulging in anti-party activities.
Gowda has maintained there was no need for calling a
legisalture party meeting to discuss the content of a
correspondence between him and Gadkari.
70-year-old Yeddyurappa had intensified his campaign
to regain chief ministership since February after the
Karnataka high court had quashed an illegal mining
case filed against him and also the sanction accorded
by governor H R Bhardwaj to prosecute him.
With the party central leadership cold-shouldering his
efforts to stage a comeback and asking him to come
clean in the corruption cases against him,
Yeddyurappa has turned the focus on removal of
Sadandana Gowda.
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