Bellary: Striking a conciliatory note after a public spat, senior BJP leader KS Eshwarappa on Monday said he and state unit president BS Yeddyurappa are together and there is no confusion about it.
Both the leaders have been openly criticising each other in recent weeks, following questions raised on Yeddyurappa's "unilateral style" of functioning.
"We are together. We were together during the state executive, we have spoken to each other and there is no confusion," Eshwarappa said in reply to a question about him and Yedyurappa remaining apart during the recent state executive meet in Mysuru.
"We have discussed during the Mysuru executive as how to strengthen the organisation, our party workers will go to every assembly constituency. We are working towards ensuring that the BJP comes to power in 2018," he said.
A palpable sense of unease between the two leaders had marked the two-day state executive meet of Karnataka BJP held in Mysuru on May 6 and 7.
Though both Yeddyurappa and Eshwarappa shared the stage during the inaugural, they remained withdrawn from each other.
Yeddyurappa even refused to acknowledge as Eshwarappa greeted him on stage.
While Eshwarappa attended the executive meet amid reports that he has decided to skip it, the party as a last minute placatory bid, gave him an opportunity to address the gathering and move the resolution on drought.
However, Eshwarappa, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, reiterated that "Rayanna Brigade" activities would continue.
"It (Rayanna Brigade activities) will continue on its own," he said in response to a question.
Rayanna Brigade is an "apolitical forum" of Dalits and backward classes people floated by Eshwarappa in an apparent show of strength in his battle against Yeddyurappa, a former chief minister.
The party had last week issued a statement barring the party members from participating in Rayanna Brigade activities and had instructed the functionaries not to organise any event connected with any brigade or other kinds of organisations. Resentment has been brewing within the party following the appointment of party office-bearers by Yeddyurappa and "ignoring" of loyal workers and the party old guard.
It had intensified as factional feud on April 27 with Eshwarappa holding a convention to "save" the organisation in defiance of the warnings by Yeddyurappa's camp against it.
The fissures within the Karnataka unit have been causing concern among the central leadership which has been hoping for the revival of party's fortunes in the assembly polls early next year and to see the BJP's return to power.
