BS Yediyurappa onMonday announced he will step down as the Karnataka chief minister and said hewill meet the governor after lunch and hand over his resignation.
A teary-eyed BSYediyurappa said he would submit his resignation to Governor Tawarchand Gehlotpost-lunch. Even as his voice choked up, BS Yediyurappa said he wasn't biddingfarewell in sadness but thanked Bharatiya Janata Party's leadership for theopportunity.
BS Yediyurappa saidwhile announcing his resignation, "I have decided that I will resign fromthe post of Karnataka's Chief Minister. I am going but not out of sadness. Ithank Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I appeal that all of us should worktogether to build the party."
"I am gratefulto the party for giving me this opportunity even after (I turned) 75 years,"he told reporters. Earlier, in hisspeech, he said: "When (Atal Bihari Vajpayee) was Prime Minister he askedme to be a minister at the Centre. But I said I will be in Karnataka."
The BJP had grown inKarnataka, he said, adding: "It has always been an agnipariksha (trialby fire) for me. These last two years it was Covid."
BS Yediyurappa tweets for the first time after resigning as Karnataka chief minister: "Deeplyinfluenced by Jagajyoti Basavanna's philosophy of Kayaka, Dasoha Tattva &the life of Lingaikya Shri Shivakumara Swamiji of Siddaganga Mutt, I havededicated my entire 50 years of public life towards nation building andfulfilling the aspirations of the people of Karnataka."
The resignation waswidely anticipated but Mr Yediyurappa kept everyone guessing till yesterday.Even a minister claimed surprise. "It was a surprise for me. He told methat he may receive a favorable decision from the high command by July 26. Butwe all have to abide by the norms of the party," said K Sudhakar.