Yeddyurappa loyalists decide to boycott today's budget session

BANGALORE: The crisis in the ruling BJP in Karnataka deepened further with loyalists of former Chief Minsiter B S Yeddyurappa deciding to boycott the opening day's budget session today.

Even as BJP central leadership said it will send an emissary to resolve the leadership tussle, Yeddyurappa loyalists decided to continue their stay in a private resort where they have been lodged since Sunday.

However, they decided to depute two ministers -- Jagadish Shetter and C M Udasi-- and MLAs Lakshminarayan and Chandrakant Bellad to attend today's session.

The party Central leadership had promised to depute an emissary after the current budget session to resolve the crisis. The assurance has paved way for the Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda to present his maiden budget tomorrow without any hindrance.

"The central leadership will be sending its emissary to Bangalore to resolve the leadership issue and Gowda will present the budget as scheduled tomorrow," Minister for Water Resources and a prominent Yeddyurappa loyalist Basavaraj Bommai told reporters at a private resort here.

Bommai said the group has demanded that the party convene a legislature party meeting to decide the leadership issue.

The central leadership, especially BJP General Secretary Arun Jaitley, has been in constant touch with B S Yeddyurappa and had detailed talks with him over the issue, Bommai said.