Yeddyurappa stays away from Yuva Morcha meeting

Sulking over BJP leadership snubbing his demand for a "suitable position" in the state unit, former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa today stayed away from a meeting called to discuss strategy for the upcoming Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha bypoll.

Though Yeddyurappa and his son BY Raghavendra, MP, were in the city, both did not attend the BJP Yuva Morcha meeting, party sources said.

State unit BJP president KS Eswarappa and Yuva Morcha President V Sunil Kumar, whom the party has fielded for the bypoll, were present.

Yeddyurappa told reporters that he would undertake a state-wide tour from March six.

He said he has directed his supporters to convert a programme, being organised in Hubli on March 11 in connection with his 70th birthday celebrations, into a platform to discuss problems of North Karnataka region.

With BJP chief Nitin Gadkari ruling out replacement of chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda, Yeddyurappa took a cautious path and dropped his plans to turn his birthday celebrations on February 27 into a show of strength, making it a low-key affair.

Both Yeddyurappa and Eswarappa condemned the attack by lawyers on mediapersons in Bangalore.