Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda on Sunday sought to downplay the raging feud between former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and State BJP President K S Eshwarappa over the leadership issue by saying "it is like a family issue and will be sorted out soon."
Replying to a query by the media, he said there was no need to discuss issues related to family in public. Nobody brings family problems out in public. All these issues will see a happy ending soon, he added.
Yeddyurappa had claimed that he was the party leader in the State, while Eshwarappa had been maintaining that there was a collective leadership in the State unit of the party.
Yeddyurappa had even accused Eshwarappa of conspiring to oust him from the BJP.
Yeddyurappa, who has been facing allegations of illegal land denotifications, has even set January 15 deadline for the party to take a decision on the leadership issue.
The former chief minister desperately wants to become either the chief minister or the State party chief so that he can continue his hold over the State party affairs.
Though hand picked by Yeddyurappa to be his successor as the Chief Minister, Gowda is no longer in his control. After his recent election as a member of Legislative Council, Gowda has grown in confidence and has started talking tough. Gowda too has said that the party high command will decide the leadership issue in the State.
'Vow to work hard'
Gowda, who was earlier greeted by many top officials of the government on the occasion of New Year, also called upon people to take a vow to work hard for the development of the State in 2012.