BJP turns to BSY to win over Sriramulu

BANGALORE: In a move that raised many an eyebrow, state BJP president K S Eshwarappa on Monday met former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa at Parappana Agrahara central jail and held talks with him for about half an hour.Eshwarappa first held a meeting with a few Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders and party office bearers on Monday morning over recent developments in the party and also on the selection of a candidate for the Bellary rural bypoll before meeting the former chief minister. An RSS leader also accompanied Eshwarappa.The meeting assumes significance as it comes a day before Yedyurappa’s bail application comes up for hearing in the High Court on Tuesday.  Though it is not known what transpired between the two leaders, sources in the BJP maintained that the purpose of Eshwarappa’s meeting was to pacify Yeddyurappa, who is said to be upset with the treatment meted out to him by the party after his arrest, and also to keep him in the loop on the selection of the candidate. The buzz doing the rounds is that Yeddyurappa, through his supporters, is persuading Sriramulu to contest elections as an Independent candidate while assuring full support from his side. By doing so, Yeddyurappa wants to send a strong message to the party leadership, especially at the Centre, that the party cannot do without him in the state. After getting wind of this, Eshwarappa on the advice of RSS leaders, decided to meet Yeddyurappa to convince him about the party’s decision to offer a ticket to Sriramulu and also to request him to convince Sriramulu to contest on the party ticket.Meanwhile, Sriramulu who is maintaining suspense on his next move, is said to have put several conditions before the party observers who met him on Sunday at Bellary to contest on a BJP ticket.Among others, the main demands of Sriramulu include the transfer of Bellary deputy commissioner and Superintendent of Police and release of his supporters who were arrested on charges of rioting during the Bellary bandh on the day former Karnataka tourism minister Gali Janardhana Reddy was arrested by the CBI.Not in a position to promise anything, the party is said to have told Sriramulu that his demands will be considered only after the elections.