B.P. Harish, BJP MLA and a prominent member of the party’s rebel group, on Sunday maintained that the time had come for a change of leadership in the State BJP.

“I think the time has come for a change of leadership in the State BJP unit. That is the reason why party president B.Y. Vijayendra and his father and former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa are going around organising Lingayat rallies. It seems they have got a feeling that the BJP high command is not with them. Mr. Yediyurappa and his children are up to their old tricks to retain power,” Mr. Harish told reporters.

“I have been in politics for long and have seen that Mr. Yediyurappa has stayed in power by blackmailing the party high command. That is what he has done all through. When he had to resign following corruption allegations, he tried to delay it by organising Lingayat rallies and invited religious heads to address those rallies. But we are not like that. We do not use our community for our politics,” he said.

To a query, he said he was not opposed to Mr. Yediyurappa, nor was he a supporter of Basanagouda R. Patil Yatnal, MLA. “I am not opposed to Mr. Yediyurappa or his sons per se. I am opposed to corruption and those involved in anti-party activities. I am opposed to leaders who are involved in match-fixing during elections to defeat their own party leaders and support those from the Opposition. That is why, we are confident that the high command will clean up the State BJP unit,” he said.

He criticised the State Budget by saying it was based on the policy of Muslim appeasement. “Looking at the Budget, I feel that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is losing his balance of the mind,” Mr. Harish said.