K'taka Minister Jagadish Shettar's Meeting with 'Upset' BJP MLAs Sparks Speculation

Bengaluru: As his meeting with senior legislators, reportedly upset over not being inducted into the Cabinet, sparked speculation, Minister Jagadish Shettar on Tuesday termed reports about "revolt" as "far from truth."

The meeting late Tuesday evening at Shettar's residence by legislators mostly from north Karnataka in the midst of the ongoing Assembly session had raised eyebrows within the ruling BJP circles. Shettar said a few legislators had met him regarding their constituency-related work.

"I'm a minister, daily several legislators come and go, it is a routine process, so yesterday four to five legislators had come for their work, I spoke to them, after which they left," Shettar, a former Chief Minister and now holding Industries protfolio, said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, any "such meeting as being reported" is "far from truth." "There was no such meeting, legislators had come for their work, there is no need to have any misunderstanding about it," he said, adding that he was not answerable to media reports and owes no explanation.

According to some media reports, eight-time BJP MLA Umesh Katti (Hukkeri), who had openly expressed his displeasure over not being inducted into the ministry, and Shankar Patil Munenakoppa (Navalagund) were among those who had met at Shettar's residence.

They reportedly discussed about "most loyal senior party legislators not getting minister post", and the Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa's son Vijayendra's alleged "high-handedness" in the government.

Shettar is also said to have met Yediyurappa on Tuesday morning and explained to him about the meeting. Ahead of the Assembly session, Yediyurappa was seen speaking to Shettar, Katti and others in the House on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, an unsigned and anonymous letter, calling for a change in leadership citing Yediyurappa's age and health as the reason, is widely in circulation in the social media.

It calls for Yediyurappa's retirement from electoral politics and suggests that he turn "margdarshak" for the party. Yediyurappa will turn 77 on February 27.