Yeddyurappa expresses doubts over CM presenting maiden budget

BANGALORE: Continuing his threat to the BJP government, Karnataka Janata Party supremo B S Yeddyurappa today expressed doubts over Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar presenting his maiden budget.

"I cannot say if Shettar will present this year's budget. God alone knows about it," he told reporters.

Yeddyurappa, who has been demanding the dissolution of the Assembly on the ground that the Shettar-led ministry has lost its majority, said the KJP will meet on January four to decide the fate of the government.

A decision on how many BJP MLAs will quit their Assembly membership will be taken at the meeting, Yeddyurappa said.

According to KJP sources, about eight to ten MLAs, who are loyal to Yeddyurappa, were expected to resign their Assembly membership.

Disgruntled with Shettar's move to drop KJP supporters from various boards, Yeddyurappa recently said the BJP government had lost the right to present the budget as it "is losing majority day-by-day."

Shettar has already said he would present the 2013-14 budget proposals in February.

Yeddyurappa, who held the finance portfolio when he was chief minister, urged Shettar to present a 'white paper' on the Karnataka's financial position.

"The government should produce a white paper on planning and non-planning expenditures. It is not releasing funds under various schemes, but spending money on advertisements," he said.