KJP founder seeks 'asylum' from Yeddyurappa's threats

Founder president of Karnataka Janata Party Padmanabha Prassana Kumar on Wednesday claimed that he faced threats to his life from B S Yeddyurappa, who is heading KJP now, and he wanted 'political asylum' in Tamil Nadu.

Kumar alleged that he has been receiving threats from Yeddyurappa and his son ever since he wrote to the Election Commission stating that KJP had decided to revoke the decision to nominate Yeddyurappa as state unit president.

"I have been receiving life threat sfrom him (Yeddyurappa) and his son," he claimed, adding he had requested the President, prime minister, Union home minister and Karnataka governor to provide him security.

“I cannot go without security to Karnataka. There are threats to my life," an emotional Kumar told reporters.

"On January 3, I went to the Election Commission and submitted all the documents. I left Karnataka and came to Chennai for political asylum. I need political asylum," he said.

Kumar said he would meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa later to seek security "as there is no safety for me or my family in Karnataka."

Kumar alleged that Yeddyurappa had been admitted to the KJP as he had given 'some assurances' after leaving the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"That's why we took him into our party. I believed his assurances to be true, based on which he was admitted to the party last year," he said.

After breaking ranks with the BJP, Yeddyurappa had taken over as the KJP president at a rally at Haveri in North Karnataka on December 9. KJP had been in existence earlier but became prominent only after Yeddyurappa walked into it and formally launched it at the rally. 

Yeddyurappa had rubbished Prasanna's move to dislodge him from the party post, saying the latter had already informed the EC about giving up his post and that he had taken over as the president.