The dissidence-hit Bharatiya Janata Party's Karnataka unit presented a picture of unity on Monday, with rebel leaders joining Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa at a meeting to ask partymen to work for the victory of party candidates in the April 9 bypolls to three assembly constituencies.
State BJP president K S Eswarappa, national general secretary Ananth Kumar and Rural Development Minister Jagadish Shettar, who last week had led the rebels in seeking Yeddyurappa's ouster, attended the meet, asking partymen to ensure defeat of the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular.
Yeddyurappa dismissed the talk of differences in the party. "If it is so (differences), it is in your parties," he told the opposition, which has been carrying on a sustained campaign for his removal on corruption and nepotism charges. Yeddyurappa was also bitter with the media for painting the BJP as a dissidence-hit unit in the state and said "you will not succeed in your venture."
Eswarappa in his opening remarks at the meet, attended by prominent leaders of Chennapatna, Jagalur and Bangarpet constituencies, said that the BJP has fielded popular candidates who were certain to win at the hustings.
Ananth Kumar opined that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam may not return to power in Tamil Nadu and the Congress is also on the verge of losing there. "Similarly, the Communists will lose power in West Bengal and Kerala," he said.
Yeddyurappa came down on the Congress and the JD-S, saying they have no moral right to criticise defection of its members of legislative assembly to the BJP. "What did they do for our MLAs, who are now fighting their case before the Supreme Court? Who ferried them to Chennai and Goa? The Congress has no moral right to continue in power at the Centre as it has been facing a spate of 'scams'," he alleged.
Terming the JD-S as a 'father and son' party, he said BJP workers should ensure the JD-S was 'wiped out' from the Karnataka's political map. Rejected by people, both the Congress and the JD-S have become "destitutes", he said and slammed them for seeking his resignation.
He also urged partymen to gear up for the bypoll in constituencies which have fallen vacant after disqualification of 16 MLAs who had withdrawn support to his government, saying the SC was likely to pronounce its verdict soon. Yeddyurappa claimed that the United Progressive Alliance government might collapse after assembly elections in five states, leading to mid-term polls to the Lok Sabha.
