Crisis in Karnataka not serious,will be resolved: BJP

“The party is in touch with him. It is purely an internal party issue and we will resolve it. I don’t see it as any serious problem and we will resolve that issue,” he said when asked to comment on developments in Karnataka where MLAs loyal to the BJP strongman are lodged in a resort on the outskirts of Bangalore and appeared in no mood to soften their stand.

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Jaitley,who is here to file his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha biennial poll from Gujarat,said Yeddyurappa had been asked to resign after the Lokayukta report on illegal mining and the criminal prosecution which arose out of the Lokayukta report.

“That prosecution has been quashed on the grounds that the Lokayukta had not granted him any opportunity of hearing. There were some factual inaccuracies also. So he has been in dialogue with the party that the reason why he was removed no longer exists,” he told reporters.

The crisis facing the BJP government in Karnataka today showed no signs of abating with the B S Yeddyurappa camp sticking to its guns demanding his reinstatement as cief minister.

MLAs loyal to the Karnataka BJP strongman are lodged in a resort on the city outskirts and appeared in no mood to soften their stand. Yeddyurappa is also keen on presenting the Budget himself.

Yeddyurappa loyalist Beluru Gopalakrishna claimed that as many as 59 MLAs are their camp and that the number would swell to 70 by today.

Gopalakrishna said the party’s central leadership had assured them that Yeddyurappa would be reinstated after he comes clean in an illegal mining case.

The BJP had forced Yeddyurappa to quit in July 2011 after he was indicted by the Lokyukta report on illegal mining that had triggered a political storm in the state.

Recently,the High Court quashed the charges against him in the report and also the reference made by the Governor to the Lokayukta to file an FIR and investigate them.

BJP State President,K S Eshwarappa,told reporters that the state unit would abide by any decision taken by the central leadership.The party’s central leadership was watching the developments,he said,adding,it would decide on Yeddyurappa’s “desire”.

BJP’s leadership is reportedly divided on the issue of reinstatement of Yeddyurappa who intensified his power struggle yesterday by claiming support of over half of party MLAs and demanded that the central leadership convene a legislature party meet within 48 hours.

“Wait for 48 hours. It is not a deadline. I am sure the party leadership will take a decision”,he had said,apparently indicating that BJP will have to take a call on his demand for reinstating him as Chief Minister before his successor D V Sadananda Gowda presents his maiden Budget on March 21.

he BJP has a strength of 120 legislators,including the Speaker,in the 224-member Assembly.

Amid the crisis,Chief Minister Gowda celebrated his 59th birthday on a low key yesterday and declared he would present the Budget.