Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj K.S. Eshwarappa on Friday said the BJP high command would act against party leaders C.P. Yogeshwar, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, and M.P. Renukacharya at an appropriate time.
“Only these three people are making noise in our party and the party knows when and how to deal with such people though neither the leaders nor party workers are bothered about them and their rants. The leadership had recently warned them against making comments in public. The party general secretary camped in Bengaluru for three days to listen to Ministers and MLAs,” he told reporters.
When asked about the fresh tirade launched against Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa by Mr. Yogeshwar, Tourism Minister, and Mr. Yatnal, MLA, despite the high command’s warning, Mr. Eshwarappa said the party high command would look into the matter as it knew how to rein them in.
Mr. Eshwarappa also attacked former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D.K. Shivakumar over the “next Chief Minister” slogans by their party workers. “Forget about coming to power and getting the CM’s post, the Congress will lose the Opposition party status after the next elections,” the BJP leader predicted.
When asked about the KPCC chief’s reported statement about giving eve defectors entry to the Congress, Mr. Eshwarappa said, “First of all, who is joining a sinking party like the Congress?”
He also said that while Mr. Shivakumar has opened the doors of his party for erstwhile Congressmen, Mr. Siddaramaiah has opposed the return of defectors, and both are squabbling when no BJP legislator is even thinking of joining the party they quit. Describing the Congress in the State as a “divided house” with no unity among its leaders, Mr. Eshwarappa said the strife had reached a level where the picture of Mr. Siddaramaiah had been removed from the campaign vehicle of Mr. Shivakumar.
