E ven though there is no word or commitment from the BJP Central leadership so far on former Chief Minister and KJP supremo BS Yeddyurappa's re-entry into the party, clamour for Yeddyurappa's homecoming is growing louder by day in the State BJP. State party chief Prahlad Joshi and the senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister KS Eshwarappa on Sunday announced in Bellary that his party high command has given green signal for admitting Yeddyurappa into the party.
He said, “The Central leadership has given the green signal...He (Yeddyurappa) will be back in (the BJP) soon.” The State unit has been making no bones about its readiness to welcome the former party strongman back into its fold.
Eshwarappa also said there was no condition laid by Yeddyurappa to return to the party. “Yeddyurappa has said he will come back to the party with a single point agenda — to make Narendra Modi Prime Minister, we welcome it,” he added. Eshwarappa said he had also discussed with the party Central leaders the return of BSR Congress leader B Sriramulu, to the BJP, from which he broke away to form his own outfit. The party secured four seats in the May polls. He said the BJP
Central leaders were yet to give the go-ahead for the return of Sriramulu, who has his own sphere of influence among the Valmiki community in the State. The BJP State spokesman and MlA from Chikkamagalur CT Ravi said national and State leaders had met Yeddyurappa and a decision would be out within 10 days.
Ravi told the media on Sunday that an official process regarding bringing Yeddyurappa back to the BJP has already begun. He said, “BJP leaders and Yeddyurappa want to unite. Both of us understood from the Assembly election result that we have lost to the Congress because of dissidence. Hence, BJP leaders and Yeddyurappa have decided to unite. BJP national and State leaders have already met Yeddyurappa. The party Parliamentary Board will take a final decision soon.”
Yeddyurappa was made to resign as Chief Minister over allegations of illegal mining and the leader deserted the BJP and floated his own outfit, Karnataka Janatha Paksha (KJP) over a year ago, who has been waiting for his homecoming. In fact, the KJP had garnered 10 per cent vote share in the May Assembly polls in Karnataka that decimated saffron party giving way for the Congress to come back to power in the State.
Even though the lingayat strongman wants to keep his identity intact, he looks desperate for a comeback to get back his political clout which is falling apart. A source in the BJP told The Pioneer that it has become difficult for the party to take him back at this juncture as the party has taken a moral standing on corruption to decimate the Congress and also to take on Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi who is taking high moral grounds on the issue of corruption.
He said, “Yeddyurappa's re-entry to the party is really getting tough. If we take him now it is not possible for the party to counter the Congress and the AAP on the issue of corruption which is crucial for the 2014 elections. It might take some more time to wriggle out this for the party seniors. Other thing is there is an opposition for his admission within the party which has become a stumbling block.”