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Cong slams BJP for using Yediyurappa like a ‘tissue paper’
People aware of the matter said that Yediyurappa was upset over the rejection of his proposal for tickets to his followers. However, the former CM maintained that he was not unhappy with how the talks went
Bengaluru
The Congress on Tuesday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party over reports of the party’s central leadership holding a closed-door meeting in New Delhi — while keeping out former chief minister B S Yediyurappa — to finalise candidates for the May 10 assembly elections in Karnataka, saying that the party was using the leader as “disposable tissue paper”.
Yediyurappa, who was in Delhi with Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, returned to Bengaluru on Monday before the BJP released its first list of candidates.
Citing reports which claimed that Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda held a closed-door meeting with state leaders keeping out Yediyurappa, the party termed it a “grave insult” to the senior Lingayat leader.
“It is a grave insult to a senior leader of the Lingayat community to hold a meeting with other state leaders by excluding BS Yediyurappa. BSY, who has built the BJP in Karnataka, did not get a chair in the BJP’s meeting? Does he not have freedom to decide on a ticket? BSY has become the BJP’s disposable tissue paper,” the Congress tweeted.
People aware of the matter said that Yediyurappa was upset over the rejection of his proposal for tickets to his followers. However, the former CM maintained that he was not unhappy with how the talks went. “I am not upset. I am always the happiest person. I am sure we will get a full majority on the basis of the seat selection,” Yediyurappa said on Tuesday.
Dismissing the reports of infighting, Bommai said on Tuesday: “Yediyurappa was with us in all the meetings. He sat with us for over 10 hours and has given his input on all 224 seats. We held a separate meeting with Nadda over campaigning and advertisements.”
The CM added that the first list of candidates would likely be announced on Tuesday. “After several meetings, the names of candidates have been finalised. Home minister Amit Shah will take a look at the list once he returns to Delhi and after that the first list will be released,” he said.
