Haveri : The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka teetered on the brink when B S Yeddyurappa, who led it to victory and became its first chief minister in May 2008, threatened to pull down the State government at a massive show of strength here on Sunday.

The former chief minister drove the ruling party to despair when he not only launched a regional outfit, called the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP), but also managed to garner the support of 14 BJP legislators.

Yeddyurappa, lustily cheered by the massive crowd, also challenged Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar to dissolve the Assembly and face fresh elections.

Yeddyurappa minced no words in reminding Shettar as well as his erstwhile colleagues that he still holds sway over a section of the party MLAs and that the government “cannot continue without his support.” He repeatedly challenged Shettar to face elections on the grounds that he had lost people’s mandate.

Yeddyurappa pointed out that he had removed D V Sadananda Gowda to make Shettar the chief minister. Eventually Shettar also betrayed him. Through the KJP convention, which was attended by a couple of lakhs in Haveri city, Yeddyurappa sent a message to his detractors that he continued to be a crowd puller though he was out of the BJP.

The crowd at the GH college grounds, where the convention was held, cheered as their leader openly challenged the BJP to take action against the 14 MLAs present on the dais. “Shettar, if you really have guts and self-respect, you immediately dissolve the assembly and also take action against all these MLAs,” Yeddyurappa said.

No minister was present on the dais. But many of them shook hands with Yeddyurappa at the breakfast organised at MLC Shivaraj Sajjanar’s residence in Haveri, hours before the convention began.

Sunil Vallyapure, Infrastructure Minister who resigned on Saturday, submitted his resignation to Shettar again on Sunday saying his action was out of his volition. He also shared the dais with Yeddyurappa.

In all, 14 legislators, including Vallyapure and six MLCs, were on the dais. No MP, including Yeddyurappa’s son B Y Raghavendra, was present. However, G H Basavaraj, MP from Tumkur, who was suspended on Saturday, made it to the convention, but did not sit through the programme.

The MLAs who made to the convention were at the breakfast meeting, too. The ministers who attended the breakfast meeting were: Shobha Karandlaje, C M Udasi, Murugesh Nirani, Revu Naik Belamagi, Basavaraj Bommai, Renukacharya and Vallyapure. They all came in their private vehicles and left soon after having breakfast.

They claimed that they were ready to attend the convention. However, Yeddyurappa advised them against participating in the meeting.

They claimed that they were ready to attend the convention. However, Yeddyurappa advised them against participating in the meeting.-DH News

State BJP President K S Eshwarappa had warned that those who attend the KJP meetings would meet the same fate as was meted out to B J Puttaswamy and G S Basavaraj. While Puttaswamy was stripped of his ministerial post, Basavaraj was suspended from the party. Yeddyurappa in his speech made a strong pitch for the need for a regional party to protect the State’s interests. Surprisingly, Yeddyurappa neither abused the BJP nor criticised any other party.

Probably to give a secular image to the KJP, he repeatedly mentioned that his party would give primacy to minorities, dalits and women.

He also made representatives of all communities to sit on the dais. Nehru Olekar, MLA, welcomed the gathering. Suresh Gowda Patil, also an MLA, took a dig at the BJP. Many leaders who were earlier in other parties have joined the KJP.

Yeddyurappa, gave a recap of all the programmes he had launched when he was chief minister for three and a half years. He also mentioned the court cases he was facing. He said he became the chief minister because of the people of the State.

“The party which I built for four decades, used me and later accused me. I am not after the chief minister post nor after power. I want the people of the state to live with respect. And I will strive for it through my new party. I will write it in blood that I will not betray you,” he said.

He said the KJP is struggling to learn to walk now. And people, especially youth, should build the party in every village across the state so that the party “can contest all the 224 seats in the next elections.”