KJP vows to topple BJP Govt in Karnataka

Eager to stall presentation of an election budget by the Jagadish Shettar Ministry, Karnataka Janatha Party of B.S. Yeddyurappa is holding its executive committee meeting on Friday to finalise ‘an action plan to bring down the first BJP government.

“We may not allow this government to present the budget. We will finalise an action plan to bring down the Shettar government at the KJP Executive meeting slated for Friday”, Mr. Yeddyurappa, who last month quit the BJP to head the KJP, said.

According to indications from the Chief Minister’s secretariat, Mr. Shettar plans to present the 2013-14 budget on February 8 ahead of the Assembly polls due in May this year.

Talking to reporters on Wednesday night, Mr. Yeddyurappa said the government was “dead”. People who met him during his tour of the state had demanded that it be not allowed to continue, he said, adding he was cobbling up the required number of BJP MLAs to topple the government.

Mr. Yeddyurappa, who quit BJP last month after being upset over his neglect by the party leadership, has been working overtime to ensure that more than 20 MLAs and a few ministers, loyal to him, resign en masse.

“How many MLAs will remain with BJP is the question now”, he quipped on being queried how many legislators will heed to his call of en masse resignation.

“I am very clear that we should not allow this government to continue,” Mr. Yeddyurappa, who was instrumental in installing the BJP government in 2008, said.

He claimed that his successor and friend-turned foe D V Sadananda Gowda and the incumbent Mr. Shettar, again his choice for the chief ministership, pushed Karnataka to 11th place in development in the last one-and-half years, which he said was in the second spot under his leadership.

Mr. Yeddyurappa, on his second leg of tour in parts of the state, said he planned to enrol about 25 lakh members in his fledgling party.