Jaitley fails to cut ice on Yeddyurappa issue

 BJP leader Arun Jaitley who had come to Bangalore to hold parleys with the warring factions in the state unit of the party, had to return empty-handed on Tuesday with former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and his supporters refusing to meet him.

 While Yedddyurappa was in Shimoga, to participate in a scheduled programme, none of the ministers or leaders from his camp turned up at the BJP state office where Jaitley and Karnataka BJP in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan were waiting to meet them.

 Yeddyurappa’s close aide MLC Lehar Singh met Jaitley on Tuesday morning at a hotel where the latter held talks for two hours.

 Through Singh, Yeddyurrappa has reportedly conveyed unwillingness to hold talks with the party high command as he felt the latter had failed to keep his words.

 Yeddyurappa has been claiming that BJP national president Nitin Gadkari had promised him the state president’s post when he stepped down as the Chief Minister.

 When Jaitley persisted to meet him, Yeddyurappa reportedly told him that he would meet party national leaders only in Delhi.

 Yeddyurappa has been demanding a key position (state BJP chief) in the party.

 But the party high command is in no mood to oblige him owing to corruption charges against him.

 Over this, Yeddyurappa has been going ballistic against his party leaders.

 Jaitley, meanwhile, met Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, Deputy Chief Minister R Ashok, BJP national general secretary Ananth Kumar, state BJP organising secretary Santosh, MPs DB Chandregowda and PC Mohan, Minister Aravind Limbavali and MLA Vijayakumar.

 The state leaders have urged Jaitley to solve Yeddyu rappa issue soon as it was creating confusion in the party.

 They told Jaitley that Yeddyurappa would desert the party if he is not given any position.

 On his part, Jaitley told state leaders to persuade the former CM to stay in the party