Leaders ripped chief minister apart for his nepotism and dictatorial attitude in doling out tickets and posts
Leaders ripped chief minister apart for his nepotism and dictatorial attitude in doling out tickets and posts
Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa may just have given away his power to finalise the list of electoral candidates.
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Under fire: B S Yeddyurappa |
Senior RSS leaders conducted a closed door meeting on Tuesdayu00a0 following the uproar over Yeddyurappa giving son B Y Raghavendra the party ticket to contest the Shimoga Lok Sabha seat. That and his "dictatorial" attitude in appointing heads of boards and corporations resulted in a great deal of Yeddy-bashing at the meeting.
Yeddyurappa skipped the meeting on the pretext of a religious ritual at Trissur, for which he was accompanied by rural development panchayat raj minister and good friend Shobha Karandlaje. Despite his absence, RSS leaders took him to task.
Ananth Kumar, who is expected to face former chief minister S M Krishna in Bangalore South, took the lead in launching a scathing attack on the chief minister.
He said Yeddyurappa was responsible for the recent dent in the party's image and this would affect their prospects in the elections.
"The leaders indicated that they would snatch Yeddyurappa's powers to decide on candidates," said a source who attended the meeting. "Even the appointments for boards and corporations came under the scanner."
Sources said, the meeting decided to authorise central leaders to decide on the candidates for the legislative council elections in June. The BJP will need to fill seven of the 11 seats in the councils that are soon to be vacant.
"It is seen as a setback to the chief minister because the council election is an opportunity for any leader to satisfy his followers," said the source.
Seniors including former state party president B B Shivappa and former deputy speaker S Mallikarjunaiah went to the extent of calling Yeddyurappa a dictator.
State unit president Sadananda Gowda reportedly tried to take Yeddyurappa's side but the leaders silenced him.
RSS top brass Jayadev, Santhosh, K Narahari and others attended the meeting.
