BJP government will fall due to infighting, says Siddaramaiah

The “infighting” in the ruling BJP will lead to the government’s downfall, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah claimed on Saturday. He was commenting on rumblings within the ruling party after over a dozen BJP legislators, including former minister Umesh Katti, huddled earlier this week in what was seen as an attempt to mount pressure on Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to expand his Cabinet.

“No Congress MLA will resign as is being claimed. The BJP government will fall due to infighting,” Siddaramaiah said.

He also branded the B S Yediyurappa government as “extremely corrupt” and that it was in the interest of the people of the state if the government fell.

Dismissing Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi’s claim that he could get some Congress MLAs to resign, Siddaramaiah said such statements were being made to “cover up the secret meetings being held in the BJP.”

Siddaramaiah also latched on to senior BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal’s statements. “The BJP is on fire. Yatnal says Yediyurappa is not their leader and that he’s just the CM. What message does this convey? The Congress will not interfere in the BJP’s internal matter. If the government falls due to their internal rifts, we will not be responsible.”

Congress’s gag order

With rumblings in the BJP out in the open, the Congress has imposed a gag order on its leaders from commenting on the ruling party’s affairs.

“Only Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Siddaramaiah and I are authorized to comment on matters related to the BJP,” Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D K Shivakumar told reporters.

“No other party worker or legislator, including my own brother (D K Suresh) should make public statements,” he said. “We should just focus on building our party and serving people. Let’s look after our house. We have nothing to do with the BJP’s internal matters and we needn’t interfere.”