Bommai not a rubber stamp CM, says Yatnal 

HUBBALLI: Vijayapura City BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal on Thursday said that Basavaraj Bommai became the chief minister due to the continued pressure exerted by BS Yediyurappa on the party’s central leadership. Yatnal, a strident critic of Yediyurappa, however, said that Bommai will not be a rubber stamp chief minister.  

“Every leader wants to make a mark... Bommai is no exception. It has been just 15 days since he took charge as the chief minister. It is too early to judge him,” Yatnal told reporters here.
Yatnal said Bommai will not be dictated to by Yediyurappa. “As a CM, Bommai now has to listen to the central leadership and party MLAs,” he said, adding that every party legislator should cooperate with Bommai.

He said it was not right on the part of ministers to express their displeasure over the portfolios allotted to them. Without taking the name of Yediyurappa, Yatnal said everyone was aware as to who the ‘sutradar’ behind the latest trouble in the BJP was as only the former’s followers were unhappy with their portfolios. “The same forces ruined the political future of former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi. Neither Aravind Bellad nor me have expressed any kind of displeasure,” he added.  

When asked if he missed out on becoming the chief minister or a minister because he was critical of Yediyurappa, Yatnal said, “Yediyurappa lost the CM’s chair because he opposed me.” Yatnal admitted that Hindu activists were hurt over the party appointing Bommai as the CM as he was allegedly the force behind suppressing the Idgah agitation and police attack on agitators in early 1990s.