In a statement, the 68-year-old first BJP chief minister in south India said: "I am a disciplined worker of Bharatiya Janata Party. I have decided to tender my resignation to the post of chief minister as per the direction of the party.
"The month of Ashada (according to Hindu calendar) will be over on 30th July 2011 on the New Moon day or Amavasya. I will be tendering my resignation as chief minister on the forenoon of 31st July 2011."
"I have consistently toiled for 40 years to build the party from the scratch and have got the satisfaction of bringing the party to this level. It is my committed desire to work for the development of the party in the future also," Yeddyurappa said.
The announcement smoothens the way to elect his successor Friday for which the ruling BJP is holding a meeting here in the presence of senior leader Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley as central observers.
Yedddyurappa's announcement came after a day of hectic activity in the BJP camp with groups of legislators meeting him separately and speculation that he had imposed several conditions to quit.
Among the conditions talked about in BJP circles was that he will name the successor, will have a major say in ministry formation and should be made state unit president.
There was no indication from either him or his loyalists or from BJP central leadership whether the party has agreed to any of these conditions.
The BJP parliamentary board Thursday morning directed Yeddyurappa to quit immediately, a day after Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde sought his trail for graft in the illegal mining scam that has caused a loss of over Rs.16,000
crores to the state.
Source: IANS

Karnataka CM BS Yeddyurappa resigns

BANGALORE: Tainted Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa tendered his resignation on Thursday, following his indictment by the Lokayukta over illegal mining in the state.

The chief minister, however, has sent his resignation letter to the BJP national president Nitin Gadkari instead of the governor. According to sources close to him, Yeddyurappa would officially resign on July 31.

A strong believer of astrology, Yeddyurappa has been advised by a known astrologer to resign on July 31 as it could "bring him bright chances to return to power some time later."

Earlier, briefing mediapersons, BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad said that the party decided that it was time for a change in the Karnataka BJP leadership. He also said that Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh will go to Bangalore on Friday to choose an alternative leader.

The BJP top leadership LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh and Venkaiah Naidu who met in New Delhi rushed its troubleshooter and party's general secretary Dharmendra Pradhan to convince Yeddyurappa to step down gracefully.

His intervention succeeded, however, the chief minister is expected to put forth his demands before the party observers Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh when they arrive here on Friday.

Though the news of CM's resignation spread like wild fire, excise minister M P Renukacharya, a close aide of Yeddyurappa, maintained that the CM had not resigned and would not do so. Since he returned from Delhi this morning, Yeddyurappa was busy meeting his close associates and garnering support. He had also announced he would go ahead with scheduled plans of his cabinet meeting.

Therefore, submitting his resignation to Gadkari is seen as his ploy to buy some more time before tendering it to the governor.

The party still has not finalized an alternative name to succeed Yeddyurappa. State BJP president KS Eshwarappa, rural development and panchayat raj (RDPR) minister Jagadish Shettar and party's national general secretary Ananth Kumar are the front-runners for the post. Former president D V Sadananada Gowda, Yeddyurappa's favourite, is seen as a dark horse.

New Delhi: The names of Karnataka minister Jagdish Shettar, state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief KS Eshwarappa and MP Ananth Kumar are doing the rounds as the replacement for Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa, who was on Thursday asked to quit by the party.

Speculation is rife about his successor, with the BJP deciding to remove Yeddyurappa after he was indicted by the Lokayukta for the illegal mining in the state. Shettar, the rural development minister, is a Lingayat leader like Yeddyurappa. One of the reasons for not asking Yeddyurappa to resign during the last crisis when he was indicted in a land scam was the huge Lingayat vote bank backing him.
Eshwarappa, who belongs to the backward caste, is another option for the party, while former state president Sadananda Gowda's name has also been taken. All three are not so well-known nationally.

BJP Lok Sabha MP Ananth Kumar, who has been a competitor of Yeddyurappa, is another contender, according to party sources.
Former home minister and Yeddyurappa loyalist VS Acharya, Law Minister Suresh Acharya and Shobha Karandlaje, who is known for her proximity to the chief minister, are the other names being floated, the sources say.
Yeddyurappa was on Thursday asked to step down immediately by the BJP after the Lokayukta indicted him for the illegal mining in the state.

12:40 pm: The rise and fall of Yeddyurappa Sixty eight-year-old Bookanakere Sidalingappa Yeddyurappa has been the face of the BJP in Karnataka. As a Lingayat leader, he helped bring a significant vote bank to the saffron party - something that helped to guarantee his survival in the seat of power for so long.

12:30 pm: Will Reddy brothers be fired too?

12:15 pm: Yeddyurappa defiant even after BJP asks him to resign The BJP parliamentary board on Thursday asked tainted Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa to tender his resignation immediately, following the indictment by the Lokayukta over illegal mining in the state.
Briefing mediapersons, BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad said that the party has decided that it was time for a change in the Karnataka BJP leadership. He also said that Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh will go to Bangalore on Friday to choose an alternative leader.
11: 45 am: Yeddyurappa's possible successors NDTV compiled a list of politicians who could succeed Yeddyurappa as Karnataka CM.
11: 30 am: Too late, says Congress on Yeddyurappa ouster Reacting to the BJP's decision to let Yeddyurappa go, the Congress party said the decision has come 'too late'.

10: 58 am: Yeddyurappa holds emergency meeting Even as the BJP high command has come to a decision, Yeddyurappa himself is huddled in a meeting with some close aides at his residence. Yesterday, Yeddyurappa had said there was no question of him resigning.

10: 42 am: BJP cracks the whip on Yeddyurappa Ravishankar Prasad said BJP parliamentary committee met since 9:30 am and came to a unanimous decision that there has to be a change in leadership in Karnataka and asked the chief minister to tender in his resignation.
10: 36 am: Yeddyurappa must go: Ravishankar Prasad The BJP parliamentary board has taken a decision on the Karnataka political crisis. Addressing the media outside party president Nitin Gadkari's residence, spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad said Yeddyurappa must step down as the CM. Senior party leaders Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh will head to Bangalore to select a new leader.

10: 15 am: Reddy brothers to address media later today Reddy brothers, accused of running a parallel government in Bellary district, will address the media this afternoon, Kannada channels report.
9: 50 am: Karnataka BJP split on Yeddyurappa The BJP in Karnataka seems to have split vertically. Most ministers may give the meeting Yeddyurappa has called at 10.30 am a miss. (He is also talking of a 3.30 pm meeting). MLA CT Ravi is reportedly telling his party colleagues not to attend any meeting called by Yeddyurappa. The legislator told TV9 that reporters should not dig into a party's internal affairs.
9: 30 am: Yeddyurappa certain to go Yeddyurappa is certain to go, and the BJP is only struggling to zero in on a successor, reports ET. Front runners, Jagdish Shettar, KS Eshwarappa and Ananth Kumar, are engaged in marshalling support for their respective bids, according to the business paper. More on Economic Times

9: 00 am: BJP likely to decide Yeddyurappa's fate today
On Wednesday, Karnataka Lokayukta submitted its report on illegal mining in the state and indicted Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa. The BJP parliamentary committee will meet today to take a decision on his continuation as the CM.
Yeddyurappa, who reached New Delhi Wednesday evening went to the residence of party president Nitin Gadkari to attend the meeting, convened in the wake of report by Karnataka Lokayukta N Santosh Hegde which levelled charges against him.
The meeting, which lasted over three hours, was attended by senior BJP leaders Arun Jaitley, who is BJP party in-charge of Karnataka and former president Rajnath Singh.

With BSY set to go, BJP hunts for successor

New Delhi: The days in power appear to be numbered for BJP’s only chief minister in the South, BS Yeddyurappa in Karnataka.

With him being indicted in the report of Karnataka Lokayukta on illegal mining, though so far unofficially, Yeddyurappa is believed to have made up his mind to go down without fighting this time if the party asks him to step down.

The party’s central leadership is also said to have made it clear that it would be untenable for Yeddyurappa to continue as the Chief Minister any longer if the probe report, which Lokayukta Santosh Hegde will officially submit at 12 noon tomorrow, officially names him in the scam.

At a press conference with his Cabinet colleagues yesterday, Yeddyurappa had said that he would quit if found guilty of involvement in the scam.
He however today hit back at the Opposition saying it is Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P Chidambaram who should first quit on the 2G scam issue.

"Perhaps it's the Prime Minister and Home Minister who should quit first after what (A) Raja (former telecom minister) directly disclosed," the embattled chief minister told reporters. "They don't have moral right to continue in office".

He also charged the Congress with harping on the "Karnataka issue" to cover up "Central government scams".

Yeddyurappa, meanwhile, is also believed to have suggested to the central leadership to dissolve the state Assembly and go in for mid-term polls. However, the party is said to be having a different view on that.

Yeddyurappa had returned to Bangalore only yesterday from a vacation to Mauritius. It was during his holiday that the Lokayukta's report on the mining scam got leaked and indicted him.
Hegde had later acknowledged that Yeddyurappa was named in the report.

The BJP central leadership is also believed to have started the hunt for a successor. Among the names doing the rounds as possible replacements of Yeddyurappa include Rural Development Minister Jagdish Shettar, state minister Suresh Kumar and Higher Education Minister VS Acharya, party general secretary Ananth Kumar and state BJP chief KS Eshwarappa.

Sources said Yeddyurappa’s views will most likely be taken into account before picking a successor.

While Shettar is a Lingayat leader, he might lose out on the race as he is seen to have played an important role in the oust-Yeddy campaign. Ananth Kumar too has been pitching for Yeddy’s head and also has no backing of state MLAs.

Suresh Kumar, on the other hand, is close to the RSS and might stand a chance. Eshwarappa also has his foot in the door as he belongs to the backward Kuruba caste.

VS Acharya, a Brahmin, known as close confidant of Yeddyurappa is also a hot contender.

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has said to be a part of this party, one has to be a part of the circus that goes on at the Congress committee office

Talking to media persons here on Sunday, Aiyar said: "We all are there and a kind of fair is held at the 24, Akbar road and if you want to be a part of the Congress, then you will have to join that circus, then only you can be a part of it. Sometime you achieve success and sometime you may fail but you always keep faith that one or the other day, you will definitely achieve something."
Aiyar said unlike other parties, which are based on caste, position, state, language or society, Congress has people who hold different viewpoints and live harmoniously with faith in variety.

"This is a party where people of different opinion can live harmoniously but from that, there is one base point on which they always stand and it is that we have faith in variety and we celebrate variety. We feel very happy if we have various varieties of people between us and this is a truth about our party other parties are formed based either on caste, position, state, language or society. But Congress is one party, which is the mirror of the country," said Aiyar.
Talking about the new economic policies, Aiyar said the pattern of economic policies adopted by the government has resulted in 8 percent growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 0.8 percent growth of poverty.

"The Congress party has wrestled with the question of the new economic policy in such a manner that those who have serious reservations about it, people like me, are marginalized. The party as a whole is behind Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. I don't know what the question you are asking is? The fact of the matter is that what were concerns of the Congress party from the days of Mahatma Gandhi onwards continue to be for 80 percent of our people, the concerns today. This pattern of economic growth that we have adopted has resulted in 8 percent growth of GDP and 0.8 percent growth of poverty," said Aiyar.
Aiyar said the economic growth pattern has resulted in country's position to remain at 134 from the last 17 years in United Nations Human Development Index.
"This economic growth pattern has resulted in India's position on the UN Human Development Index which was 134 in 1994, 17 years later, being in 2011, exactly there 134," he added.
Source: ANI

New Delhi: A day after he dragged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P Chidambaram into the 2G spectrum scam, former communications minister A Raja on Tuesday clarified that he did not intend to frame anyone and the media had misrepresented his statements.

"Main kisi ko phasana nahi chahta tha (I had no intention of framing anyone)," Raja's lawyer said on his behalf when the names of Manmohan Singh and Chidambaram were taken in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court presided over by Judge OP Saini.
He also said Raja's statement was misrepresented by the media. The counsel added that Chidambaram should come to the court as a witness. "The home minister should come in the court from either of the side and be a witness in the case. When all the decisions were known to the home minister, then he should appear as a witness in the case," he said.
Raja's lawyer Sushil Kumar had on Monday said the 2G spectrum transactions were approved by Chidambaram, who was then finance minister, in the presence of the prime minister. The comment was criticised by the Congress, which said it cannot rely on the comments of an accused. Raja's DMK party had also distanced itself from this comment.

Amar Singh is a Rajya Sabha MP. Rajya Sabha officials, however, denied that house Chairman Hamid Ansari had given permission for Amar Singh's questioning, saying that no such request had been received.
They said that since no request had been received, there was no question of permission being granted by the chairman.
The officials also added that there may not be a need for permission for Amar Singh's questioning as the matter did not relate to his actions in the Rajya Sabha.
Amar Singh's former aide, Sanjeev Saxena, arrested by Delhi Police, alleged that the then Samajwadi Party leader had provided Rs.1 crore for getting the support of three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs in a trust vote in 2008.
Alleged middleman Suhail Hindustani, the second accused arrested Wednesday, also levelled the same allegations against Amar Singh, saying he was the "main" man behind the scandal.
Hindustani also accused Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and other Congress leaders of involvement.
Bags filled with currency notes were shown in the Lok Sabha July 22, 2008, minutes before a trust vote was to take place.
Hindustani was called to a Delhi Police office for questioning and later arrested.
Saxena is understood to have told police that Amar Singh's driver Sanjay had gone along with him to deliver the money - as claimed by BJP MPs Fagan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagora.
The two were among the three MPs who had claimed they were paid to abstain from the Lok Sabha trust vote sought by the Manmohan Singh government after the Left withdrew support over the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Saxena was caught on camera paying BJP MPs Kulaste, Bhagora and Ashok Argal bribes ahead of the confidence vote.

Probe role of terror groups, including Hindu outfits, says Congress leader

Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh coming out of a temple at Ujjain. PTI
Ujjain (MP): Continuing his tirade against RSS, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Sunday alleged that it was "making bomb factories" and demanded that role of all kinds of terror groups, including Hindu outfits, should be probed in connection with the Mumbai serial blasts.
"I have been saying that RSS was spreading terrorism in the country and it has been making bomb factories," Singh told reporters.
When asked about his statement on Saturday not ruling out involvement of RSS in the Mumbai blasts, he said, "I only said that role of all kinds of terrorist organisations, including Hindu terror outfits, should be probed."
The Congress general secretary had courted controversy on Saturday when he said that he does not rule out the involvement of Sangh in Mumbai serial blasts, evoking criticism and condemnation from BJP.
"I do not rule out anything. If they want evidence about Sangh's involvement in terror activity, I have got evidence. But not in this case," Singh had told the media.
Reacting sharply to the Congress leader's comments, the BJP termed them as "disgusting and objectionable" and sought an apology from Congress president Sonia Gandhi for what Singh had said.
To a question about his interest in Madhya Pradesh politics and whether he will contest an election from here, Singh on Sunday said that since he had taken an oath of not contesting polls, he would stick to it and focus on party work.
On Uma Bharti, who recently joined the BJP, being given the charge of U.P., he said that he has no contest with her.
"She has not been assigned any charge in Uttar Pradesh and has been asked by her party to work only as a campaigner," Singh, who AICC in charge of U.P., claimed.
Meanwhile, protesting against Singh's remark, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) activists demonstrated with black flags at Doodhtalai, Pipli Naka and Hospital Road.

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh wants a probe into the “role of all kinds of terror groups, including Hindu outfits" in connection with the Mumbai serial blasts. PTI File photo
They also ransacked a hotel in Doodhtalai area which was supposed to be inaugurated by Singh.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) condemned Congress leader Digvijaya Singh's reported remark that the involvement of Hindu outfits in Mumbai blasts could not be ruled out, seeking apology from Congress president Sonia Gandhi for the same.
"The BJP strongly condemns the disgusting statements of Digvijaya Singh and seeks an apology from Congress chief Sonia Gandhi," the party spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain told reporters here.
"While the threat of terrorism is looming large over the nation and the people need to be balmed after being hurt by the shock, Digvijaya Singh is playing politics over terror and dead bodies," the BJP spokesperson said.
He also charged the Congress leader of trying to divert the course of investigations by making such statements.
"When the home minister and the investigating agencies are still investigating, and are not in a position to tell anything about the perpetrators, which sources does Digvijaya Singh have to make such statements?," the BJP leader questioned. "Is he above the intelligence agencies and the home minister that he is giving such statements?" The BJP also charged the Congress general secretary of trying to play diversionary politics, even on a sensitive issue like terrorism.
Meanwhile, the Congress chose to be cautious on Singh's statement.
"It is the job of the investigating agencies to decide whom to include and whom to exclude in the probe," party spokesman Shakeel Ahmed told reporters.
Ahmed also downplayed the controversy arising out of Maharashtra chief minister's statement that the Nationalist Congress Party, (NCP) Congress ally in the state, should not have been given the home portfolio.
The chief minister had clarified he was quoted out of context. There was "no misunderstanding" on the issue, he said.
The Congress spokesman also took a dig at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for saying had Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel been alive, innocent people would not have lost their lives in terrorist activities.
"If Sardar Patel had been alive, there would not have been the leadership of L K Advani and Modi, nor there would have been communal terrorism", he remarked.
Source: PTI

Ignoring PM's order, Mukul Roy refuses to visit train accident site saying Singh is Rail Minister

Kolkata: Hours after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh directed him to visit the train derailment site in Assam, Minister of State for Railways Mukul Roy Monday evening left for the Maoist-hit Junglemahal area in West Bengal where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was also visiting.
"As per schedule, he has left for a two-day tour to the Maoist hit areas where Mamata Banerjee is also to visit," Trianmool sources said.
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister asked Roy to visit the site of the blast in Assam that derailed a passenger train, leaving at least 100 people injured, official sources said.
However, Roy kept himself busy during the day in the state assembly where four Trinamool Congress candidates filed their nominations for the Rajya Sabha.
When contacted, Roy refused to give a categoric reply on the prime minister's directive to him to visit the accident site where the Guwahati-Puri Express derailed near Ghograpara in Assam's Nalbari district.
"You can talk to the Chief Public Relations Officer of the Northeast Frontier Railway," Roy told IANS.
Regarding the Howrah-Kalka Mail disaster in Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh, where at least 69 passengers were killed in an accident, Roy replied: "Whatever queries you have, you put to Mr (K.H.) Muniappa. He is looking after the entire matter."

Roy earlier told a television channel that he was only one of the ministers of state, while the prime minister was the cabinet minister. "The prime minister is the minister for railways. I am only a minister of state."
A Northeast Frontier Railway official said: "We have not yet received any official communication about Roy's visit."
However, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MP and former chairman of railway standing committee Basudeb Acharia said "Now there seems to be a feud in the Trinamool Congress with Mukul Roy not happy over the likely elevation of Dinesh Trivedi (Trinamool Congress MP and MoS health and family welfare) as cabinet minister for railways."
In New Delhi, the opposition parties were scathing in their criticism of the government over the "political vacuum" in the railway ministry which they blamed for Sunday's railway accident that claimed at least 69 lives in Uttar Pradesh.
They said there has been no full time railway minister for the past two months and the previous incumbent Mamata Banerjee spent a lot of her time preparing for the West Bengal assembly polls. The opposition parties also accused the government of ignoring the crucial ministry.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari said it proved the government's non-seriousness on the issue. The Communist Party of India-Marxist, meanwhile, questioned the prime minister on why a railway minister had not been appointed as yet.

"The accident shows that the railway ministry and government is not serious about the safety of railway passengers. If the government does not take immediate steps to ensure the safety of passengers the situation will deteriorate and people will lose faith on the railway," Gadkari said.
Party spokesperson Jagat Prakash Nadda meanwhile blamed the coalition politics for "spoiling" the railways.
"We are concerned about the state of railways, during the UPA I and UPA II, the railways has become the victim of government's coalition politics," Nadda said.
CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury said the government was responsible for the accident.
"No one has been given the charge of railways till now, the whole government is responsible for it, but the Railway Minister is responsible above all," Yechury told reporters.
"Why hasn't the prime minister appointed a new railway minister till now. He should tell the nation. People should not be losing their lives because of the government's inaction. This is serious," he said.
The accident Sunday involving the HOwrah-Kalka Mail in Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh led to at least 69 passengers being killed. In another incident Sunday, over 100 people were injured when the Guwahati-Puri Express derailed due to a suspected bomb blast near Ghograpara in Assam's Nalbari distict. A few days ago, the Mathura-Chhapra Express hit a bus at an unmanned railway near Etah in Uttar Pradesh leaving 38 bus passengers dead.

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MP and former railway standing committee chairman Basudeb Acharia held both Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress party MP and junior railway minister Mukul roy responsible for the accidents.
"Those at the helm of affairs over the past two years have to take responsibility for the death of innocents. Mukul and Mamata cannot shirk their responsibility.
"When she had the railway portfolio, Mamata Banerjee used to stay in Delhi for only a day every week to go to her department Railway Bhavan. Her only aim was to become West Bengal chief minister. She totally neglected the railways," he said.
Acharia said under Banerjee and Roy, the posts of 1.20 lakh safety manoeuvring staff of the railways including those of thousands of gangmen were lying vacant. "From station manager, right up to the GM level many slots are vacant. Banerjee has done immense damage to the railways."
"Now there seems to be a feud in the Trinamool Congress with Mukul Roy not happy over the likely elevation of Dinesh Trivedi (Trinamool Congress MP and MoS health and family welfare) as cabinet minister for railways,"
Source: IANS