Will ask party leaders to appoint LoP, says Yediyurappa

This announcement follows expressions of disappointment and frustration from BJP MLAs during an internal meeting chaired by Yediyurappa on Thursday in Bengaluru

Former chief minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader BS Yediyurappa on Thursday acknowledged the delay in naming the leader of opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and the new state party president. Yediyurappa added that he will ask the party’s high command to expedite these appointments.

Former chief minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader BS Yediyurappa said he would also put pressure on the party high command for the appointment of a new Karnataka party president. (ANI)

This announcement follows expressions of disappointment and frustration from BJP MLAs during an internal meeting chaired by Yediyurappa on Thursday in Bengaluru. The legislators even threatened to boycott the upcoming winter Assembly session in Belagavi if a Leader of Opposition (LoP) was not appointed.

BJP, the principal opposition party in the state, is yet to designate its legislature party leader, who will also assume the role of the leader of the opposition in the assembly. This delay has been a cause for concern, particularly since the previous assembly session in July proceeded without a leader of the opposition in place.

Yediyurappa, a central parliamentary board member of the BJP, conveyed his stance to reporters, saying, “There has been a delay in the appointment of the opposition leader, and I have requested that it be expedited. I will do everything in my power to apply pressure for the appointment to be made before the upcoming assembly session, likely in December.”

During the meeting held in Bengaluru, BJP MLAs expressed embarrassment over the persistent attacks by the Congress regarding the absence of a LoP and the lack of a response from the high command. “One BJP MLA even threatened not to participate in the winter session without the appointment of a LoP,” said a leader on condition of anonymity.

With the delay in naming a leader of the opposition, many leaders fear that Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(s)] leader HD Kumaraswamy, a political rival turned ally will emerge as a potential face of the opposition, the leader added.

The fact that the BJP’s central leadership has not considered the candidature of previous chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and his colleague, former deputy chief minister R Ashoka, suggests a challenge in finding an “acceptable” candidate to lead the attack against the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government, party leaders say.

The BJP leadership has also not yet decided who will succeed Nalin Kumar Kateel, who has completed four years as the party’s state president. Kateel, a three-time Lok Sabha member from Dakshina Kannada, was appointed as the state unit chief in August 2019 for a three-year term, and his tenure was extended last year in anticipation of the forthcoming elections.

“Regarding the state president, our demand is for the appointment to be made promptly, regardless of the candidate. We will strive to expedite this process,” Yediyurappa said.

Pointing out that the leadership tussle between Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar and their respective camps have reached a peak, Yediyurappa claimed that all is not well in the ruling party.

Targeting the chief minister, the Lingayat strongman said that Siddaramaiah has lost control of his government. “It’s been six months since the Siddaramaiah-led government was formed but it is still not moving forward. It has become like a vehicle which doesn’t have air in its tyres. In the second term, Siddaramaiah is in a strange situation where he has no control over the party and the government,” Yediyurappa said.

Responding to Yediyurappa, deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar said that there are no problems with their government. “In order to cover up their failure to appoint a LoP the BJP is pointing fingers at us and claiming there are problems in Congress,” he said.