Talk of rebellion against me is media's creation: Yeddyurappa

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Thursday dismissed talks of a brewing rebellion against him by a section of Bharatiya Janata Party members of the legislative assembly, terming it as "a creation of the media".

A group of MLAs and ministers met senior party leader H N Ananth Kumar and state unit president K S Eshwarappa late Wednesday evening, and are believed to have expressed their grievances against the chief minister in the wake of allegations that a trust run by his family received donations from a mining company and other firms.

The Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular have stepped up attacks on Yeddyurappa, alleging that the trust in which his sons are among the trustees received huge donations from the firms in return for government favours.

A section of BJP legislators believes that repeated allegations by the opposition against the chief minister are hurting the party's image, while some others have criticised him in private over what they maintain was his 'dictatorial style of functioning.'

Speaking to mediapersons, Yeddyurappa sought to take the media to task, wondering how a meeting held in the party office can be likened to dissidence brewing against him.  

"How far will people believe media reports if meaning is sought to be given to our meeting in the party office? What's the intention?" Yeddyurappa said.

"The reports that have appeared in a section of the media are not true. They are the media's creation," he said. He said Wednesday's meeting was to discuss the party's preparations for next month's bye-elections to three assembly segments, as well as on how proceedings went on in the legislature.

According to BJP sources, Ananth Kumar and Eshwarappa sought to elicit the views of the MLAs on Yeddyurappa's leadership, at the core committee meeting. Getting wind of it, Yeddyurappa made a hasty visit to the party office and spent some time with the MLAs present there.

Meanwhile, a group of ministers, including V S Acharya, S Suresh Kumar and Murugesh Nirani, held a joint press conference, seeking to put an end to the reports in a section of the media of a rebellion against the chief minister.