BJP dissidents want Jagadish Shettar to replace Yeddyurappa

A Bellary mining lobby led by Infrastructure and Tourism Minister G Janardhana Reddy and his elder brother Revenue Minister G. Karunakara Reddy have virtually challenged the leadership of Chief Minister B S Yeddyuappa and mobilising the support of MLAs of north Karnataka to make Legislative Assembly Speaker and Lingayat leader Jagadish Shettar to replace Mr Yeddyurappa.

Transport Minister R Ashok and BJP MLA Renukacharya met Mr Jagadish Shettar in the State secretariat. But they refused to divulge the details of the meeting with Mr Shettar.
The Reddy brothers, who lashed out at Mr Yeddyurappas style of functioning, held several round of talks with Ministers and MLAs close to them. They also announced the launch of a programme for construction of houses to the flood victims in Bellary on Wednesday.
The Reddy brothers decided not to invite CM to the programme to be held on Wednesday in Bellary. To iron out the differences between Mr Yeddyurppa and Reddy brothers, BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu is expected to come to Banglaore in a day or two.
Minister for Higher Education Aravind Limbavali and Minister for Water Resources Basavaraj Bommai, who played the role of emissaries to persuade the Reddy brothers to come for talks with Mr Yeddurappa, have apparently failed in their mission. Mr Janardhana Reddy has reportedly rejected the Mr Yeddyurapaps offer for talks and rushed to Bellary on Tuesday afternoon for making preparations for the programme to be held on Wednesday.
he Reddy brothers also want Rajya Sabha member and industrialist Rajeev Chandrashekar to be removed as in-charge of flood relief operations in north Karnataka. Chandrashekar was recently appointed to supervise rehabilitation efforts in the area devastated by the Sep 30-Oct 2 rain and flash floods.
In most of these areas, the Reddy brothers wield considerable influence and hence they want relief operations to be carried out under their supervision.
M.P.Renukacharya, a legislator who had identified himself with the Reddy brothers, Tuesday sprang a surprise by holding a separate meeting with a few legislators.
The Reddy brothers announced Tuesday that they will go ahead with construction of 50,000 houses in flood-hit areas with the money they and other mine owners in iron-ore rich Bellary district, around 400 km from here, have raised.
They do not plan to invite Yeddyurappa to the function to launch the construction work as he is opposed to Reddy brothers going solo in relief work. He wants them to make the programme a government effort and not of their own.
"It is left to him to participate or not. We are going ahead with our plan," Janardhana Reddy asserted Tuesday after meeting his loyalist ministers and legislators.
After meeting his supporters, Yeddyurappa told reporters that he will call the Reddy brothers for talks to resolve the differences. "I will talk to them in a day or two. Everything will be sorted out," he said.
State party chief Sadananda Gowda was more forthright in expressing his anger at the dissidence.
"We have seen media reports about dissident activity. We will collect information from others also. Indiscipline will not be tolerated," he warned.