Ignoring party warning, about 23 legislators and seven ministers on Friday attended the breakfast meet hosted by former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who broke away from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party recently, in a virtual expression of solidarity with him.
Ministers C M Udasi, Murugesh Nirani, M P Renukacharya, V Somanna, B J Puttaswamy, Shobha Karandlaje and Umesh Katti and about two dozen legislators were present.
"I have the support of 30 BJP legislators and ministers together and all of them are attending the breakfast meet organised here," said Yeddyurappa, who is all set to launch his new party, Karnataka Janata Party at Haveri on December 9.
Speaking to reporters at the breakfast meet, Yeddyurappa said he is asking his loyalist MLAs and ministers not to attend the Haveri rally not because of the BJP warning of action but that he did not wish to embarrass the BJP government.
"I installed Jagadish Shettar as chief minister and wish his government completes its tenure. If BJP wishes to take action, it could do so," he said.
Asked whether he is here to show his strength, Yeddyurappa said there was no need for him to do so. If he wanted to do so, he would have done it in the Vidhana Soudha (assembly).
"I came here to know how the winter session is going on," he said, referring to the ongoing legislature session at the newly inaugurated Rs 400 crore Suvara Vidhana Soudha, the state's second secretariat-cum-legislature building.
BJP has warned its ministers and legislators that disciplinary action would be taken against those participating in the KJP launch rally of Yeddyurappa, who broke his 40-year-old association with the party on November 30.
