Truce between the Reddys and CM Yeddyurappa seems to be working in the latter's favour, with the mining barons spending close to Rs 50 crore to keep the dissidents happy.
Truce between the Reddys and CM Yeddyurappa seems to be working in the latter's favour, with the mining barons spending close to Rs 50 crore to keep the dissidents happy.
Reddys are again holding the key when Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa has to prove majority on October 12, and they are understood to have assured him of their support.Following a truce formula proposed by Yeddyurappa, the Reddys, who were at loggerheads with him, decided to back up the CM, when the dissidents were still adamant.u00a0
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Their money power seems to have yet again proven handy to protect the government. According to sources in the BJP, the Reddys have spent close to Rs 50 crore to keep the rebels happy, while Yeddyurappa offered a cabinet berth for some of them.u00a0u00a0
The drama
A fresh drama unfolded yesterday morning, with the Governor receiving a letter saying 19 BJP MLAs were withdrawing their support to the government, followed by Yeddyurappa dismissing four independents from the cabinet. The governor HR Bharadwaj fixed October 12 for the vote of confidence on the floor of the house.
When the government looked like it was on the verge of a collapse, and JD (S) State Working President HD Kumaraswamy, the brain behind the attempted political coup, looking triumphant, Yeddyurappa staged a comeback dramatically.
He said he was creating vacancies in the cabinet to accommodate some of the rebels. As the first step, he sacked PM Narendra Swamy, Venkaramanappa, Shivaraj Thangadagi, D Sudhakar -- all independents from the cabinet, while hinting some more would resign.
Soon a couple of rebel MLAs, who made their trip from Chennai to Bangalore, were seen with the CM, and expressed confidence that his government would survive, after conducting an emergency cabinet meeting.
"Most of the dissidents are from the Reddy camp and they are taking advantage of that," said a senior BJP leader. "The CM also came forward to mend his ways to be friendly with them, and this seems to have worked."
The rescue
Yeddyurappa is said to have approached Tourism Minister G Janardana Reddy and said he was ready to rectify his mistakes. An obliged Reddy said he was giving a final chance and warned him not to repeat his follies.
Reddy then flew to Chennai to talk to the dissidents. His minister brother and Revenue Minister G Karunakara Reddy was seen with the CM, when he attacked Kumaraswamy exposing land scams linked to him at a press briefing yesterday.
With the turn of events favouring Yeddyurappa, JD(S) and the principal opposition party Congress resorted to keep their flock together. While Congress took its MLAs to a resort at the outskirts of the city, JD(S) sent its legislators, in parts -- to various picnic spots.
As a result of remediation of Reddys, the BJP dissidents moved from Chennai to Kochi and Yeddyurappa is expected to meet them tomorrow, when he visits Kerala to perform a special pooja at Bhagavathi temple near Kannur.
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