CM calls off 'operation lotus'

Yeddyurappa sings development tune; says, will focus on welfare of rural masses

Under attack from the Congress and JD(S) besides battling the threats of being ousted, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa today said his government enjoyed a majority and there was no need for ‘Operation Lotus’ under which Opposition MLAs were lured into the BJP fold.

“Under no circumstances will I continue Operation Lotus. The government enjoys a majority. There is no need for it,” Yeddyurappa told a press conference held to mark the occasion of the first-ever BJP government in the south completing three years in office.

Yeddyurappa, who has managed to survive challenges to his leadership from within his own party as also threats from Governor H R Bhardwaj, expressed optimism of a peaceful tenure in the coming two years, and said he would focus on rural development and welfare of rural masses. “There is no scope for dissidence hereafter. They (rebels) have learnt their lessons,” he said.

The Centre, in its advisory to Yeddyurappa after it rejected Bhardwaj’s report recommending imposition of President’s Rule, had reportedly pointed out to the defections engineered by the BJP by poaching MLAs from Congress and JD(S) and directed that it be stopped.

BJP presently has a majority of 121 MLAs in the 224-member House, with Supreme Court setting aside the Speaker’s order disqualifying 11 rebel BJP MLAs and five independents and following the rebels returning to the party fold. Yeddyurappa claimed that 5 independents continued to support his ministry and they were in talks with him.

Yeddyurappa said in the next two years of his rule, he will focus on “kalyana Karnataka” (a welfare Karnataka) by giving a thrust to rural development and welfare of rural masses. He, added that the campaign should not be seen as BJP’s preparations for the 2013 Assembly elections, but only to ensure all round development in rural areas.

Yeddyurappa said his government maintained law and order, fostered communal harmony among all sections of the society and accorded top priority to development in the sectors of agriculture, health, education and irrigation. Agriculture sector growth which was just 1.5 per cent when BJP came to power has risen to six per cent, he claimed.

Slamming the Opposition, which has levelled allegations of corruption and nepotism against him, he said if they had not placed “hurdles’, the government would have achieved more. “I hope at least now they will cooperate with the government,” the Chief Minister said.

The government has set a target of developing 15,000 km of rural areas over the next two years, work on which will commence in a fortnight, he said. “Significant changes are taking places across the state. But there is a lot to achieve,” he said. Yeddyurappa flayed Opposition parties for what he described as “dictating” to the government, which he said is not good for democracy.

Without naming JD(S) chief H D Deve Gowda, Yeddyurappa alleged that he had troubled former Chief Ministers — Ramakrishna Hegde, Veerendra Patil, S R Bommai, J H Patel and S M Krishna and accused him of doing the same to him also.