Karnataka CM Yeddyurappa’s fate in Gadkari’s hands, final decision today

NEW DELHI - Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa will meet Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Nitin Gadkari here today to plead against his removal over allegations of land scams.

Gadkari has been authorised by the party’s senior leaders to take the final decision on whether to allow Yeddyurappa to remain in office or ask him to quit in view of various charges against him.

This will be Yeddyurappa’s second visit to New Delhi in past four days.

On Sunday, Yeddyurappa ruled out the possibility of resigning from office over the land scam issue, asserting that he had done nothing wrong.

“Why should I (resign)? There is no offence from my side. I have not committed any mistake,” he told reporters here.

“The Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) is hatching a conspiracy to destablise my government. The opposition have tried doing the same in the past as well. However, I will not succumb to these tactics and will not quit as the chief minister,” he said.
arlier, Gadkari met senior party leaders including L.K. Advani to discuss ways to solve the Karnataka crisis.

Talking to reporters, Gadkari said: “The senior leaders had authorised me to take a decision on Karnataka. I will talk to Yeddyurappa again before taking a decision.

The emergency BJP Core group meeting comes in the wake of a new expose by former Karnataka Chief Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy.

Hurling a fresh charge against Yeddyurappa, Kumaraswamy alleged that his family had sold Rs 20 crore worth of land and raised doubts about its ownership.

He also expressed doubt on whether the land sold by Yeddyurappa’s kin was owned by them or was it denotified in their favour. He sought clarifications from them.

“Is the land their hereditary property? Let them prove it”, Kumaraswamy said asking the BJP high command “does it have guts to sack Yeddyurappa?

Hitting out at Yeddyurappa for his statements that he would decimate JD (S), Kumaraswamy said: “Nobody can destroy our party. It is the people who have that power”. (ANI)