The emergency meeting of the BJP legislature party which was called in the wake of the porn film scandal, witnessed emotional outbursts by two former ministers, Laxman Savadi and C. C. Patil and an impassioned plea by their ‘godfather’—former CM B.S. Yeddyurappa— to party legislators to create chaos to prevent Opposition leaders from scoring a point against his supporters.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle a highly placed source said that Yeddyurappa rushed to the rescue of Savadi and Patil, considered his loyalists when Chief Minister D. V. Sadananda Gowda and party chief K.S. Eshwarappa sought to know what had exactly happened?
Mr Yeddyurappa immediately intervened and wondered what was left for them to explain?
“Everything is on the news channels. So, why do you want to embarrass them further by asking the same question? I am not justifying their act but they have already been humiliated.Now it is upto us to defend them on the floor of the House. I would like you (legislators) to support them fully. Don't allow the Opposition members to take advantage of the incident. Nothing should enter the records," he reportedly thundered.
After Yeddyurappa, it was the turn of his supporters, Basavaraj Bommai, C. M. Udasi and Umesh Katti to back their beleaguered camp followers. They asserted that the party must protect the dignity of its members as they had watched the porn clipping ‘accidentally’ and not deliberately.
Savadi and Patil broke down and reportedly pleaded with Gowda and Eshwarappa not to accept the Opposition's demand to suspend them from the Assembly even for a day, as it would send a wrong signal to voters in their constituencies. "We would prefer to resign as MLAs instead of facing such humiliation," they told Gowda.
In the midst of this, a senior leader who has adopted a neutral stance all along, took all top leaders to task and asked them to set aside their differences.
"We are left with just a few months for the Assembly polls. Due to the internal squabbles, our legislators feel like orphans. This isn't good for the party. No leader on his own can ensure our victory. We can win only if all of you are united," he said and left the meeting in a huff.
