Bengaluru, New Delhi (ANI): Stepping up their demand to replace Karnataka Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda with Minister of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Jagdish Shettar, former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa's supporters on Friday threatened resignation by ten ministers, if their demand was not met.
Yeddyurappa loyalist and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA BP Harish claimed the ten ministers, including Umesh Katti, Murugesh Nirani, CM Udasi and MP Renukacharya, would hand over their resignation letters to Gowda this evening.
Interacting with reporters, Harish said, "Ten ministers will resign this evening. Our decision is steadfast."
The faction demanded that the party's central leadership take a call on their demand today itself, while the central leadership has made it clear that the issue of leadership change will be addressed after the presidential elections.
Ministers loyal to Yeddyurappa today held strategic meetings at the residence of Jagadish Shettar.
In-charge of the party's Karnataka Affairs, Dharmendra Pradhan said in New Delhi that there is no question of replacing Gowda for now as he is "doing a good job".
Earlier on Thursday, B. P. Harish had said that the change of guard might take place as early as 1st or 2nd of next month.
"I think 1st or 2nd (July) next month," Harish said, when asked about the probable timing of the change in leadership.
The BJP core group met at party president Nitin Gadkari's residence in New Delhi on Thursday to discuss the Karnataka crisis.
Yeddyurappa, who led BJP to victory in Karnataka in 2008, was compelled to quit as state chief in July 2011 after the Lokayukta report indicted him for illegal mining and for his alleged role in irregularities of allotment of land. (ANI)
