In a major political development ahead of Assembly polls, the factional feud in the State BJP has intensified and simmering dissent against State president and lingayat strongman BS Yeddyurappa has emerged. BJP’s senior leader and leader of the Opposition in the council KS Eshwarappa organised a convention in Bengaluru on Thursday in defiance of warning by Yeddyurappa to save the organisation. This has also led to open confrontation between the two leaders who hail from Shivamogga. The insiders see this as a fight and conspiracy which would have a cascading effect on the ensuing elections.
The convention which is called ‘Save BJP’, a platform for the rebels under Eshwarappa, a Backward Class leader in the BJP, openly attacked Yeddyurappa over his unilateral style of functioning and dictatorial attitude. Eshwarappa who is playing a major role in the rebellion against Yeddyurappa made it clear that person was not important but the party.
He said, “Our seniors have taught us that a person is not important. Nation first, party next and person last. With this motto we have gathered here to move forward.”
“When Amit Shah declared Yeddyurappa as the party president and next Chief Ministerial candidate, we were happy, but if you (Yeddyurappa) act as you want, we can’t sit quiet,” he added.
Both Yeddyurappa and Eshwarappa are from the RSS and had fallen out over a lot of issues which include appointment of office bearers. Resentment has been brewing within the party over Yeddyurappa’s ‘unilateral’ style of functioning following the appointment of party office-bearers and over ‘ignoring’ loyal workers and the old guard of the party. Yeddyurappa has called the convention an ‘anti-party activity’ and blamed national Joint general secretary (organisation) Bl Santhosh, considered to hold significant sway over party affairs in the State, for scripting it.
Hitting back at Eshwarappa, Yeddyurappa asked him to choose whether he wants to take responsibility and work for ‘Rayanna Brigade’ or as Opposition leader. He reminded Eshwarappa that he was in the fourth position in the last Assembly polls, but still made an MlC and Opposition leader.
He also called Sogadu Shivanna (former Minister), Bhanuprakash and Nirmal Kumar Surana —vice presidents who are part of disgruntled leaders as ‘right hand men’ of Santhosh. “We are bringing everything to the notice of the party central leadership. They are also noticing it and they will take appropriate decision,” Yeddyurappa said.
“All these activities began in party office some months ago, some of our leaders supported it. Followers of Santosh, who is called the party’s national leader, are behind this...he is the motivation behind it,” he added. In a bid to pacify both the leaders, party’s national president Amit Shah had brokered a peace deal, following the growing resentment and formation of ‘Rayanna Brigade’.
The fissures within the Karnataka unit have come as a point of bother to the Central leadership which is hoping for revival of party’s fortunes in the Assembly polls early next year to see BJP’s return to power. Forming the first-ever Government in the South, BJP had ruled the State from 2008 to 2013 which saw three Chief Ministers, factional wars and corruption charges leading to Congress’s return to power. Karnataka is important for both the ruling Congress and the BJP. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who is playing the appeasement politics to the hilt declared himself that he would bring back Congress to power which is important for the century old party to survive. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP national president Amit Shah have declared Yeddyurappa as the Chief Minister face in the State. Amit Shah is also aiming at making Karnataka mukth Congress to capture power in the South.
Rejecting Eshwarappa’s claims that Amit Shah had not opposed Thursday’s meeting, Yeddyurappa said that on the instructions from national general secretary in-charge Muralidhar Rao, State general secretary N Ravikumar made a statement asking partymen to refrain from attending the meeting. The resentment and rebellion in the party has increased just after the recently concluded bypolls in which BJP has lost both the seats making Congress more stronger. The rebellion in the saffron party, many old guards see as a conspiracy against Yeddyurappa, is to avoid him becoming the Chief Minister.