To quit BJP or not: Yeddyurappa confused

Bangalore: These days former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa is pensive. The question before him: whether to stay in the BJP — which he built in the state with his “sweat and blood" — or find a new life outside the saffron party. “To be honest, I am in a confused state. I don’t know what to do,’’ he says in an interview with Express. “I will cover at least 100 Assembly segments before taking a decision by December," he says, adding that he wants to gauge the pulse of the people. Ask him who is responsible for his troubles, pat comes the reply: party president and Deputy Chief Minister KS Eshwarappa, general secretary H N Ananth Kumar and a few central party leaders.

“These are the same leaders who enjoyed the fruits of power when everything was going smoothly. Eshwarappa even became a minister in my cabinet. Now, he is going to town saying the party’s image has been dented due to use of money, caste and Operation Lotus. Why didn’t they stop me when I started Operation Lotus to stabilise the government? I was willing to go for elections. This is double standards, it hurts,’’ Yeddyurappa says, adding that he was saddened by efforts of his own party leaders to paint him black.

The former CM, who is facing a series of corruption cases, says he is confident he will come out clean. He accuses party leaders of seeking his resignation without verifying the truth behind the charges. “A third party opinion obtained by my party gave me a clean chit. I was sent to jail even before I was convicted. This has not happened even in Pakistan,’’ he rues.

"To be honest, I am in a confused state. I don't know what to do,\" says the BJP leader and ex-Karnataka CM.

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