‘Will be clear by tomorrow’: Yediyurappa on continuing as Karnataka CM

The Karnataka chief minister expressed confidence that the communication from the central leadership may come by tonight or by Monday morning.

BS Yediyurappa said that the decision whether he will continue as the Karnataka chief minister will be clear by tomorrow, news agency PTI reported. Yediyurappa however asserted that he will continue to work for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the next 10-15 years.

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa inspects the flood-affected areas during his visit, in Belagavi on Sunday. (ANI Photo)

Yediyurappa who is a Lingayat strongman said that he was yet to receive any final message from the party’s central leadership on whether he should continue in his post or quit. “I will work for the party day and night for the next 10- 15 years. Let there be no doubt about it,” Yediyurappa said.

The Karnataka chief minister expressed confidence that the communication from the central leadership may come by tonight or by Monday morning. He pointed out that he had offered his resignation two months earlier to the high command and said that he would continue or quit based on what the high command tells him to do.

Yediyurappa said that he would take a decision himself in case no ‘message’ comes from the high command. He also said that he would not ‘cross the disciplinary line’ and abide by the decision taken by the party’s central leadership. “I got most of the positions in the party, which no one else might have got in Karnataka, for which I express my gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda,” Yediyurappa was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Yediyurappa said that his primary target is bringing the BJP back to power in Karnataka. Karnataka will head to polls in 2023. He agreed with BJP national general secretary CT Ravi’s statement, who had earlier said that every person in the BJP is an ordinary party worker.

BJP chief JP Nadda who is currently in Goa praised Yediyurappa for his work in Karnataka. “It is good, he has done a good job. Karnataka is running smoothly. Yediyurappa is looking (managing) at things on his part,” Nadda said.

Yediyurappa also refrained from commenting on his successor. He said that it is solely the high command’s decision. “I'm not the one to decide about it, it is for the high command to decide. I have decided to work till the last minute. I'm ready to resign as and when they ask me to do so,” he further added.