Even as Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa scotched speculations on a possible change of guard in the state saying he will continue in the top post as long as the BJP high command has confidence in him, state Congress president D.K. Shivakumar targetted the Lingayat strongman saying there is a strategy behind his statement on resignation.
"There is a different strategy behind CM Yediyurappa's statement for resignation," Shivakumar said, adding, "He is a strong leader in BJP and state politics. BJP went to elections under his leadership and took away our party friends and formed the govt," according to news agency ANI.
The chief minister had also said he won't agree that there was no alternate leader to replace him in the state BJP.
There has been a speculation in some quarters that the BJP high command is mulling leadership change in the state considering Yediyurappa's advancing age.
The saffron party has an unwritten rule of leaders who are above the age of 75 staying away from electoral politics. Yediyurappa is 78 years old.
Responding to a question on "alternate leadership" to him, Yediyurappa said, "I will not criticise anyone. I won't agree that there is no alternate person. There will always be alternate persons in the state and the country, so I won't agree that there are no alternate persons in Karnataka, but until the high command has confidence in me I will continue as the chief minister."
— With PTI inputs
