BSY to tour state to gauge mood on his future

BANGALORE: Former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa seems to have decided to take on his opponents, both within and outside the BJP, as he threatened to expose those trying to finish him off politically, besides giving them sleepless nights over his next moves.Addressing his supporters and fans during his 70th birthday bash organised by the Backward Classes Forum here on Monday, Yeddyurappa declared that ‘he was not at all deterred by recent setbacks and he would continue his fight’.“Many think that I will go into hibernation because of my age and recent setbacks. But I won’t. I will fight back. I know how to play this game,” Yeddyurappa said.He was referring to the snub by party president Nitin Gadkari, who made it clear that the Lingayat strongman would not get any position till he comes clean of all charges against him.“It is true that I tried to return as CM, not because of my lust for power, but for the promise made by the party high command when I stepped down seven months ago. Otherwise, I would not have even looked at the CM’s office in the Vidhana Soudha,” Yeddyurappa said, while stating that he wanted the CM’s post to complete his unfinished task of making the state number one in the country. He also made it clear that he would no more beg for power. “Henceforth, I will not go to Delhi seeking any position. I will go to the people and take decisions  according to their wish,” an embattled Yeddyurappa said.He has also ruled out the possibility of quitting the party. “Let there be no confusion in anybody’s mind. I am not going to desert the party, which I have built over the years,” Yeddyurappa said.As announced earlier, Yeddyurappa would soon embark on a state-wide tour and interact with people from all walks of life, an exercise seen by political pundits as an effort to ‘gauge the public opinion’ about his clout before taking any decision. He also called upon his supporters and fans to get ready for a bigger fight. “There is no big deal in going behind those in power. The real strength lies in following someone without power and post. There will be lots of problems, but we need to face them boldly,” Yeddyurappa told his supporters, hinting that he might chose to tread his own path if the present situation continues in the party.Yeddyurappa asked his supporters to make arrangements for interaction with writers, intellectuals, students and others during his tour.