Blow by blow account

BS Yeddyurappa wants to make sure that he remains a hit with partymen for a long time to come.

He is simply not interested in power and that should have been obvious to all but the most obtuse observer. Caretaker Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa is simply making sure that those around him stay on their toes even when he is not around to make them do so. So, he thought it best to put the party leadership through the hoops rather than tamely submit his resignation. He wanted them to hone their debating skills and persuade him to go gently into the twilight. This, he felt, would stand them in good stead when the time comes to make that decisive push to dislodge the prime minister at the Centre.

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And his concern for his party does not stop here, god bless his soul. When one of his ministers came to wake him up and remind him that the time was drawing near for him to submit his resignation, Mr Yeddyurappa did not just get up, put on his angavastram and get moving. No, he administered the minister a resounding slap just so that he knows that it is best to let sleeping chief ministers lie, if required through their teeth. This is not all. Just to show that he is an equal opportunities teacher, he did not hesitate to demonstrate the Yeddy brand of discipline when confronted by BJP central leader Venkaiah Naidu. Given their friendship, Yeddy decided that such things as Mr Naidu's laptop were an impediment to a proper chat and dropped the item on the floor. Naidu denies this, of course, but then what is a broken laptop between old buddies.