Ruling BJP cautious on action against Yeddyurappa loyalists

BELGAUM: Faced with the prospect of instability of its government, ruling BJP today treaded cautiously on initiating action against 13 MLAs who threw their lot with former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and attended his party's formal launch on December 9 at Haveri.

Apparently with the numbers game uppermost in their minds, the state core committee met here and discussed action to be taken against errant legislators,MPs and others for attending the Karnataka Janata Party rally.

"We will decide in consultation with the central leadership on whether to serve showcause notices or take any other action against rebel legislators," state BJP President K S Eshwarappa told reporters.

He said the committee members would send a report on the issue to the central leadership in the next two days. Asked whether the party is delaying action against the legislators to save the government, Eshwarappa said if that were so, it would not have axed Cooperation Minister B J Puttaswamy, a trusted lieutenant of Yeddyurappa.

Eshwarappa said it is not possible for a national party like BJP to take immediate decisions. "We have the central leadership and cannot take decisions at the state level."

Cocking a snook at the party, which had warned of disciplinary action, 13 loyalist MLAs of Yeddyurappa, who recently quit BJP, shared the dais with him.

The open defiance by Yeddyurappa's loyalists has put BJP in a quandary, as any action against them would throw the five month old shaky Shettar government to the brink of collapse.

On reports of a possible cabinet reshuffle, Eshwarappa said the issue did not figure in the meeting.

Besides Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, the meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Ministers K S Eshwarappa and R Ashok, former Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, Mangalore MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, state BJP organising Secretary Santosh and Dharwad (North) MP Prahlad Joshi.