Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa on Thursday expressed happiness over his meeting with BJP chief Nitin Gadkari and said that he was confident the party leadership will take the "right decision".
Emerging from a long meeting with Gadkari and central leaders including General Secretaries Ravi Shankar Prasad, Dharmendra Pradhan and Ramlal, Yeddyurappa said, "I am happy
with the outcome of the meeting...I am confident that party president and the party will take the right decision in the interest of the party and the people of Karnataka."
Yeddyurappa claimed that Gadkari had conveyed to him that he will take an "appropriate decision" in the light of his request that he be reinstated as Chief Minister after the Karnataka High Court gave him a clean chit in a graft case.
The Lingayat leader met Gadkari after his successor to the post of chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda and state unit president K Eshwarappa had met the party president.
Significantly, while Gowda unilaterally announced to the media that he had been assured by the party high command that there will be no change of leadership "at present" in Karnataka government, Yeddyurappa was accompanied by Pradhan who is in-charge of the state when he made his statement.
Party sources said Yeddyurappa has been asked to have patience for some more time. The Central leadership wants the on-going biennial Rajya Sabha polls to get over on March 30.
"Gadkari will take an appropriate decision in consultation with the central leadership. He has also advised all parties concerned to maintain strict party discipline," Prasad said.
After nearly a week of political wrangling over the issue of leadership change in Karnataka, BJP central leadership seems to have convinced Yeddyurappa- its tallest leader in the state- to suspend his bitter campaign to become chief minister again.
It is being reported that the BJP leadership will possibly reinstate BSY as state’s chief minister in the first week of April and in return, Yeddyurappa has promised the smooth passage of state’s Budget.
The BJP sources have also said that Gowda has not submitted his resignation yet and will be replaced only after the Karnataka Budget Session is over on March 30.
After party’s shocking defeat in the Udupi Lok Sabha bypoll, the pressure had increased on the BJP leadership to reinstate Yeddyurappa as the state’s chief minister in order to stop corrosion in party’s vote bank further in Karnataka.
The fight for the Karnataka chief minister`s chair started after High Court quashed corruption cases lodged against Yeddyurappa in connection with the illegal mining.
Yeddyurappa was forced to quit as chief minister after a Lokayukta report indicted him in illegal mining. Ever since he got a clean chit from the High Court, Yeddyurappa openly revolted against the BJP central leadership and demanded it to reinstate him as the state’s chief minister again.
He threatened, locked up loyalists and gave several deadlines to the party leadership to put him back on the chair.
