BJP crisis deepens in Karnataka, Shettar summoned to New Delhi

In an effort to resolve the deepening crisis over the exclusion of senior leaders from the newly installed B S Yeddyurappa-led Government in Karnataka, the BJP’s national leadership yesterday summoned former Minister Jagadish Shettar to New Delhi to hold negotiations.

The summons from New Delhi came after Shettar, who has firmly rejected the post of Speaker of the Assembly, lashed out at Yeddyurappa and former Federal Minister Ananthakumar of playing a role in the denial of ministerial berth to him.

“I have been summoned by the party leadership in New Delhi for talks”, Shettar told reporters in Bangalore on Monday before boarding a flight to New Delhi.

Shettar, who has served as the BJP’s state unit President and as a Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, has been sulking after he was kept out of the newly sworn in BJP Ministry in Karnataka. He is scheduled to meet BJP’s senior leader Arun Jaitley in New Delhi for negotiations.

Shettar was summoned to New Delhi after Yeddyurappa all but ruled out his inclusion in the Ministry. “Shettar is a senior leader, who could fill the post of speaker and discharge the duties in an able manner. It is also the wish of the national leadership of the party that he should take over the post of Speaker. I will not interfere in the matter. The state leadership has nothing to do with the issue now”, the Chief Minister said.

“I hope the central leadership will convince him that the post of a Speaker is bigger than that of a Chief Minister”, Yeddyurappa said virtually washing his hands off the issue.

It may be mentioned here that supporters of Shettar, who had also served as a Revenue Minister in the JD (S)-BJP coalition Government, went on a rampage after their leader was kept out of the Yeddyurappa-led Government.

The BJP is not in a position to afford dissidence to raise its head in the party in view of its fragile strength in the Assembly. With 110 members in the 224-member assembly, the BJP managed to secure simple majority of 113 members with the support of five independent MLAs, who have been gifted with ministerial berths.