The ruling BJP in Karnataka expelled its Cabinet Minister MP Renukacharya, a known supporter of Karnataka Janata Party president BS Yeddyurappa, for badmouthing former Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda.
The assertion came after the newly appointed BJP State president Prahlad Joshi held discussion with CM Jagadish Shettar who eventually asked the Governor to sack him. Renukacharya was the Excise Minister.
Renukacharya said, “The people of my constituency want me to join the KJP. After all the humiliation in the BJP I did not want to continue. I am trying to get Yeddyurappa to attend the rally to be held at Honnali.”
BJP expelled Renukacharya from the party for six years for alleged anti-party activities after he accused former CM DV Sadananda Gowda of receiving paybacks from him. He was removed subsequently from the Cabinet on Tuesday by the CM.
Joshi had accused Renukacharya of talking ‘lightly’ about some State leaders, as he had been embarrassing the party by making public attacks against them — the latest being former Chief Minister Gowda. He said, “His utterances are ‘a clear violation’ of party discipline and ‘anti-party activity”.
Renukacharya, a controversial lingayat leader from central Karnataka has been identified with Yeddyurappa. He was expected to be part of an exodus of BJP legislators when Yeddyurappa quit the BJP. According to sources, he was also planning to join the Congress but the party closed doors to him.
According to a KJP source, many more BJP legislators may join the KJP soon. Major Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani, Minister V Somanna, Agriculture Minister Umesh Katti — all lingayat leaders — might join the KJP soon.
According to a close aide of Yeddyurappa, the KJP would focus only on 140 Assembly constituencies, where “it is confident of performing well, though it may field candidates for all the 224 seats.”
In another development, the Cabinet Minister and powerful miner from Bellary Anand Singh has indicated that he would quit the BJP and contest as an independent.
Meanwhile, Yeddyurappa indicated that many more Ministers and legislators would join his party.