In a move to douse the fire, the State unit of the BJP has suspended four office bearers as a warning to rebels and to bring discipline in the party.
Just a day after party in-charge of Karnataka Muralidhar Rao’s visit to Bengaluru to quell the rebellion which has affected the party very badly ahead of the Assembly polls in 2018, the party has sacked Bhanuprakash an MlC and Nirmal Kumar Surana,vice president and MP Renukacharya, vice president of the party’s Raitha Morcha and G Madhusooda, the spokesperson of the party.
According a press release issued N Ravi Kumar, general secretary of the State BJP, the party has sacked four leaders following a directive from the party. The internal strife has hit the party and groups belonging to leader of the Opposition in the council KS Eshwarappa had organsied a ‘Save BJP’ conclave recently in Bengaluru giving call to oust Yeddyurappa, who has allegedly not democratic in his approach in organisational appointments. However Yeddyurappa directly blamed RSS leader and National Joint secretary of the party N Santhosh allegedly behind this rebellion. In fact on behest of Yeddyurappa the party has sent Muralidhar Rao to assess the situation and to find an amicable solution.
It is crucial for the party to win Karnataka in the ensuing Assembly polls in 2018 to enter South after many victories in Northern States. It is also crucial as said by the party chief Amit Shah to make Congress Mukth Karnataka the party has to capture power from the ruling Congress led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who is playing the appeasement politics to hilt on his way to consolidation. The defeat in the recently held two by-polls in Karnataka for BJP has become as a major stumbling block and has to work hard to take on the Congress.
With infighting taking a toll on BJP’s image in Karnataka, the party’s Central leadership on Sunday sacked four office-bearers from both the warring factions headed by BJP State president BS Yeddyurappa and leader of the Opposition in the legislative council KS Eshwarappa.Those sacked are party vice-presidents Bhanuprakash and Nirmal Kumar Surana from the Eshwarappa camp and vice president (raitha morcha) MP Renukacharya and spokersperson G Madhusudhan from the Yeddyurappa camp.
In view of the increased feud, the party leadership has decided to crack the whip and decided to sack them as a warning to both the factions. A senior party functionary said it was a warning to both factions to mend the way and go together to fight the elections.
A few days back, Eshwarappa faction organised a public meeting in Bengaluru to openly attack Yeddyurappa for his authoritarian style of functioning. In the meeting, Eshwarappa and his supporters had slammed Yeddyurappa for his alleged dictatorial approach and appealed to the national leadership to intervene. Yeddyurappa retorted by calling the meeting as an ‘anti-party activity’ and alleged that the Eshwarappa faction was being backed by BJP national joint secretary (organisation) Santosh.
The strife within the saffron party has politically given an opportunity for the Congress and JDS to come together to defeat the BJP. Karnataka is also crucial for the ruling Congress and a victory in the Assembly polls would help revive Congress which is facing terrible political debacle.