I’ll be back with a bang, says ex-CM Yeddyurappa

Former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, forced to resign amid a slew of scams, said on Sunday that he would be back as chief minister sooner than people think; perhaps after the Assembly polls next year.

''I am the victim of a deep-rooted conspiracy of the combined forces of my own party and that of the opposition parties. I shall overcome it all, emerge clean and come back on the chief minister's seat sooner than you think,'' Yeddyurappa said at a Bharatiya Janata Party workers' meet at Hirekerur in Haveri district.

''As long as I have people's support, nobody can finish me. I will return as the CM with the blessings of you (the people) after the Assembly elections,'' he said.

He also took an indirect dig at BJP national leaders saying he did not need the support of anybody but the common people and farmers. ''We need a farmer-friendly government, whichever party is in power. I will lead the struggle to get such a government,'' Yeddyurappa said.

''My only objective in politics is to serve the farmers and common people, which is not liked by my detractors. Had I been allowed to successfully launch all of my pro-farmer and pro-common people programmes, none of the leaders in my detractor groups would have been able to even dream of becoming a chief minister for rest of their political career,'' he boasted.

Yeddyurappa said he chose this farming town for launching his pro-farmer and pro-commoner campaign because he had seen poverty in its worst form here.