Yeddyurappa writes to Gadkari, refuses to step down

Bangalore, July 25: Striking a tough posture, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa today (Jul 25) made it plain to party president Nitin Gadkari that he would not step down in the wake of the Lokayukta''s report on illegal mining that has indicted him.

Facing heat from opposition parties as well as from a section of his own partymen, who have been gunning for his ouster, Yeddyurappa dashed off a letter to Gadkari shortly after his return from Mauritius, where he was on holiday with his family.

Yeddyurappa in his letter asked Gadkari to set up a committee under chairmanship of National BJP General Secretary H N Anantakumar, his political rival within the party, to go into the development works initiated by his government, according to sources close to him.

The committee should have party General Secretary and in-charge of Karnataka Dharmendra Pradhan and senior leader M Venkaiah Naidu as members, he said.

The committee should also go into the allegations levelled against him in connection with the illegal mining, allotment of G Category sites (under discretionary quota) and other issues, Yeddyurappa said.

The sources said Yeddyurappa has firmly rejected resigning.

Yeddyurappa, in his letter, said that after Anantkumar committee submits its report, the party could take a view on his political fate and not before that, in a veiled warning that no action would be acceptable to him at this juncture.

Yeddyurappa shot off the missive in the wake of reports that Gadkari has called an emergent meeting at Delhi to discuss the Karnataka political crisis.

PTI