Yeddyurappa resigned after instructions from Rajnath

New Delhi, Nov 19 (UNI) Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yedyurappa chose to comply with the BJP's diktat and relinquished his post following explicit instructions from the party high command that ''he shall not take the confidence vote in the Assembly today''.

Informed party sources said BJP President Rajnath Singh sent the instructions through Karnataka BJP President K Sadananda Gowda that the Chief Minister should not take the vote of confidence because if there was any split in the JD(S) ranks, then the party would be blamed for indulging in horse trading in their first-ever venture to form a Government in South.

When the Chief Minister seemed to flex his muscles and displayed his intentions to prove his majority in the House, the party sent a firm message that he shall not take the confidence vote.

Earlier in the day, Mr Singh told the media that he had directed the Karnataka unit not to accept any of the dozen conditions sought to be imposed on the party by JD (S) President H D Deve Gowda.

He said the BJP was not at all interested in the tie-up after its frst betrayal but it was the JD (S) which prompted the party to take the lead in the government formation by claiming that their support was 'unconditional' just to escape the dangers of getting devoured by the Congress machinations.

With Mr Gowda flying down to Delhi, now the expectations are that he will reconnect his ties with the Congress leadership for a possible second alliance as this is the only way to ward off imminent elections in the state. The Assembly has nearly 19 months before elections are to be held under normal circumstances.

The state has seen Congress-led alliance during the first 20 months followed by JD(S)-BJP coalition for the next 20 months by Mr Gowda's son H D Kumaraswamy.

Mr Yeddyurappa was to take over the chief ministerial post on October 3 but because of the JD (S) refusal, the BJP withdrew its support to the coalition and the state came under President's rule for nearly a month. The suspension was lifted on November 9 after joint efforts of the BJP-JD(S) MLAs who paraded themselves before Governor Rameswar Thakur and President Pratibha Devisingh Patil.

UNI