Gadkari, Jaitley to meet BJP MLAs in Karnataka today

New Delhi: BJP President Nitin Gadkari, along with senior party leaders Arun Jaitley and Dharmendra Pradhan, will visit Karnataka today to meet BJP MLAs in the state where the party's government has been hit by charges of nepotism against Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and dissidence against his leadership.

Gadkari's visit to Karnataka was pre-scheduled and he will address party MLAs in the state. The party's central leadership has already asked the party leaders in the state to work unitedly in the forthcoming local bodies elections in Karnataka.

Party sources said Gadkari asked Jaitley, who has been asked to pay special attention to party affairs in Karnataka, and Pradhan, the newly-appointed general secretary in-charge of the state, to be present.

Asked why senior leaders were visiting Karnataka so soon after the latest crisis in the state unit of the party had blown over, Pradhan said "when the party president is visiting the state, it is natural that the general secretary in-charge and Jaitley in his special status have to be present."


Yeddyurappa, facing charges of nepotism and favouritism in land allotment to his sons and daughter, was given a fresh lease of life in November by Gadkari reportedly in view of the coming local bodies elections in the state. BJP central leaders did not want to antagonise the sizable Lingayat voters by removing Yeddyurappa who belongs to this community.

However, Yeddyurappa had been asked to make some compromises and the recent resignation of Information Technology Minister Katta Subramaniam Naidu, who is allegedly involved in a land scam, is said to be part of this arrangement, party sources said. Naidu is considered close to Yeddyurappa.

Yeddyurappa himself is said to be secure for the moment.

Asked about Yeddyurappa's fate, Pradhan said "the party's national leadership has already made its stand clear on the Chief Minister. There is no rethinking, revisiting or repositioning on this issue."

The three central leaders will discuss other state issues with Karnataka state unit and chalk out its strategy, including how to deal with simmering dissensions in its rank and file.


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