BENGALURU:
BS Yediyurappa burst into tears
several times in his farewell speech at an event organised to mark two years of his government as recounted his struggle to build the party and his turbulent career as CM.
The last time he cried publicly was when he was forced by the Reddy brothers to drop his close aide
Shobha Karandlaje from his cabinet in 2009.
The
Lingayat
leader failed to control his emotions when he announced his resignation but said he wasn't bidding farewell in sadness.
“Vajpayee once asked me to become the Union minister. But I declined. I told him I need to build the party in Karnataka, and I will not come to Delhi. I told him to allow me to build the party,” he said.
He added that he is not an aspirant for any constitutional post. “Neither am I aspiring for the governor’s post nor would I accept it if offered. I am not retiring from active politics. I will tour the state and strengthen the party to bring it to power in 2023 with a clear majority,” he said.
In parting, he had some advice for his colleagues and officers. “For some reason, people are losing faith in elected representatives and officers. As our Prime Minister Modi says, we need to work with honesty and sincerity to take the state and country forward.”