Settle portfolio or face elections: Message to Yediyurappa from BJP top brass

Bengaluru, Aug 24: Settle portfolios or go to polls was the one line message from the party leadership to B S Yediyurappa, Chief Minister of Karnataka.

There have been plenty of issues within the Karnataka BJP after the first round of Cabinet ministers were sworn in. There has been considerable dissent and the top brass has said that either, these issues are sorted immediately or the assembly should be dissolved and elections should be held.

Yediyurappa had rushed to New Delhi earlier this week to meet with the top leaders. However, he was told that all internal problems within the party must be sorted out without any further delay.

There are eight rebel MLAs too who are camping in Delhi and they have refused to budge unless they are given plum portfolios. They have demanded an assurance that they be given good portfolios, once the order of the Supreme Court on their disqualification by the Speaker is delivered.

Yediyurappa is said to have held meetings with them. He then returned to Bengaluru, without speaking to the media. During the meeting, Yediyurappa is said to have assured 12 of the 17 MLAs a berth if the Supreme Court decides in their favour.

The top brass, however, feels that these issues must be sorted out as the party is getting a lot of bad press. The party feels that it would be better to dissolve the assembly and face elections, instead of such issues being highlighted in the press daily. It is felt that the party can face the elections in Karnataka along with the ones to be held in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Haryana.