Differences within the Bharatiya Janata Party Karnataka unit got widened on Thursday with camps led by the party old guards and the State unit president B.S. Yeddyurappa publicly taking on each other and seeking the intervention of central leaders.
The old guards flexed their muscles close on the heels of Mr. Yeddyurappa losing the prestige battle in the Assembly by-elections by holding a public meeting of about 1,250 workers from across the State. The Yeddyurappa camp retaliated by demanding the expulsion of prominent disgruntled leaders, including Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, K.S. Eshwarappa.
The old guards, who strongly expressed displeasure over the style of functioning of Mr. Yeddyurappa, sought the intervention of party president Amit Shah. They resolved to take a delegation to meet central leaders to apprise them of the issue and set a deadline of May 10 for the State leadership to resolve the row. If nothing comes out by then, they warned of holding a bigger convention.
It may be noted that infighting had pushed the erstwhile BJP government in Karnataka to the brink many times. In fact, Mr. Yeddyurappa had quit the party to launch the Karnataka Janata Party just ahead of the last Assembly polls. He returned to the party after both the BJP and his new political outfit failed to do well in the elections.
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The rebellion within the BJP against the style of functioning of State president B.S. Yeddyurappa got louder on Thursday with nearly 1,250 prominent workers attending the meeting called by disgruntled party old guards in Bengaluru, where they sought the intervention of national president Amit Shah.
Apart from resolving to take a delegation to the central leadership to appraise it about their concerns, the leaders also set May 10 as the deadline for the State leadership to resolve the row, failing which they would hold a bigger convention of like-minded people on May 20.
The public meeting attended by Leader of the Opposition in the Council K.S. Eshwarappa, State vice-presidents Bhanuprakash and Nirmal Kumar Surana, besides Somanna Bevinamarad, MLC, and several former legislators, saw sharp attack on Mr. Yeddyurappa.
Accusing Mr. Yeddyurappa of making unilateral decisions and ignoring committed party workers, Mr. Bhanuprakash said they were holding the public meeting to draw the attention of party leadership on the need to “restore the party’s tradition of holding consultation process while making important organisational decisions.”
Defending the decision to go public on their differences, Mr. Eshwarappa remarked: “Earlier (When BJP was in power) we did the mistake of keeping quiet when things did not go well in the party. If we continue to keep quiet, then a government with resort-culture rather than the BJP ideology will come to power.”
Referring to demand by some party supporters that they should bury their differences to win the next assembly polls, Mr. Eshwarappa remarked: “Our main intention is not to somehow win the polls, but to establish a BJP government represented by sincere workers who are committed to party ideology”.
Making it clear that they were in favour of Mr. Yeddyurappa becoming the next chief minister, the disgruntled leaders took a dig at the alleged “coterie” around him. “Let Mr. Yeddyurappa shun his coterie and come to us. We will make him the next chief minister,” former minister Sogadu Shivanna remarked.
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Yeddyurappa camp demands Eshwarappa’s explusion
Special Correspondent
BENGALURU
Angered by the disgruntled leaders holding a public meeting to launch an attack against it on Thursday, the camp of Bharatiya Janata Party State President B. S. Yeddyurappa demanded immediate expulsion of Mr. K. S. Eshwarappa, a prominent leader in the detractors’ camp.
Soon after the party old guards concluded their convention, some of the MLAs and an MP from Bengaluru who are close to Mr. Yeddyurappa went hammer and tongs against Mr. Eshwarappa for participating in such a “rebel” meet.
MLAs C. N. Ashwathnarayan, Narayanaswamy and MP P. C. Mohan demanded that Mr. Eshwarappa should be immediately expelled from the Party to prevent further damage.
Mr. Yeddyurappa too did not hide his feelings as he pointed out that leaders including Mr. Eshwarappa and Mr. Sogadu Shivanna had stood third in the previous assembly polls with lack of support from people.
Interestingly, Mr. Yeddyurappa indirectly pointed an accusing finger at former RSS pracharak B. L. Santosh, who has been elevated as joint national organisational general secretary, by alleging that two of the leaders who took part in the disgruntled leaders’ meeting were his close aides.
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BSY’s supporter man-handled
Special Correspondent
BENGALURU:
A supporter of BJP State President B. S. Yeddyurappa was manhandled and pushed out of the meeting at Palace Grounds on Thursday after he tried to create a ruckus.
Mistaking the criticism pointed at Mr. Yeddyurappa’s aide B. J. Puttaswamy by MLC Bhanuprakash as one that against his leader, he walked upto the podium and raised objection. He was taken away from the venue later.
