JD(S) leader Rajanna Koravi set to join BJP

January 23, 2021 12:30 am | Updated 12:30 am IST - HUBBALLI

Janata Dal (S) leader Rajanna Koravi addressing a press conference in Hubballi on Friday.

Janata Dal (S) leader Rajanna Koravi addressing a press conference in Hubballi on Friday.

Two-time municipal councillor and JD(S) leader Rajanna Koravi , who had contested unsuccessfully against former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar in the Assembly elections, on Friday announced his decision to join the BJP, saying that there was a “suffocating atmosphere” in the JD(S). He said he was leaving the party with a heavy heart.

Addressing presspersons along with the State president of JD(S) Farmers Youth Wing, Naganagouda V. Gadigeppagoudar, and others, Mr. Koravi, who has been associated with the Janata Dal since his student days, said leaving the party with which he had spent 31 years was not an easy decision. “But I am forced to take this decision because of the behaviour of the State leaders, who are least bothered about the party leaders and workers from North Karnataka and are focussing only on the Old Mysore region,” he said.

Mr. Rajanna said that as a regional party, the JD(S) had failed to grow across the State and had remained restricted to few districts. “Being a member of the Janata Parivar right from the days of my father Moorusavirappa, who too was elected twice to the municipal council, I have worked hard for building the party. But there has not been much positive response from the State leaders. I raised the issue seeking remedial measures, but there was no positive response. Even when our party was in power, the workers from the region were not recognised or rewarded for their selfless work. All these developments have pained me.”

Terming former Minister Basavaraj Horatti his “guru”, he said several leaders, including Mr. Horatti, had tried to convince him to remain with the party, but he was not in a position to change his decision now. “I will be joining the BJP along with my team of leaders and workers in the presence of Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar and others on Saturday at a public function. Around 10,000 people are expected to participate,” he said.

He said he wanted to be in a party where he was allowed to work for the people. On whether he would be allowed to work and be recognised in a party when there already several leaders waiting to be rewarded, Mr. Rajanna said he was going to the BJP with a positive mindset.

To a query, he said his “guru” Mr. Horatti, who had stood with the party with commitment, too had not been recognised and rewarded for his work and was even denied ministership under the coalition government. But he said he was “too small a person” to comment on Mr. Horatti’s next political moves. To another query, he said he had lost all hope of improvement in the JD(S) as the State leaders were focussing only on Old Mysore region and w ere not bothered about the o ther regions.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.