New Delhi: Congress on Monday gave signals that it does not intend to touch B S Yeddyurappa and his supporters even with a bargepole despite the former Karanataka Chief Minister singing paeans to Sonia Gandhi.

"Whatever is happening in Karnataka is their own matter. It`s entirely the internal matter of BJP. They will cook their stew in their own juice. Congress Party or Party President does not require any certification. As far as Karnataka is concerned, an atmosphere of internal dissension is there since the formation of the BJP government. We definitely hope that people of Karnataka will remember all this when elections happen there six months later," party spokesperson Manish Tewari told reporters here.
Tewari was responding to questions on Yeddyurappa praising Sonia Gandhi at a function yesterday in Bangalore in which he said she and the Congress always supported party members in trouble, unlike the BJP.
That the Congress is wary of having anything to do with Yeddyurappa was also evident, when Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress President, vehemently denied reports that a minister in the Karnataka government Shobha Karandlaje, known to be close to Yeddyurappa met him this morning.
Denying any dialogue with Yeddyurappa, Patel said he did not meet Yeddyurappa or any of his aides. Dismissing such reports as baseless, he also said that no one has contacted him for a meeting with him or with the Congress President. "We donot believe in splitting others` parties," he said. Meanwhile, Yeddyurappa has said he has temporarily postponed his decision to resign from the Karnataka Assembly membership.

PTI