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Karnataka ex-minister V Srinivas Prasad in BJP: Rough ride in store?

Leaders who had joined the saffron party in the past had nasty experience and eventually had to quit.

Bengaluru: Will former minister V Srinivas Prasad be able to function without any hindrance in the BJP which he will be shortly joining, going by the nasty experience of other leaders who switched sides to the saffron party?

Many leaders still remember the manner in which scion of the Mysuru royal family and former MP, Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar and former CM S. Bangarappa were treated by BJP leaders eventually leading to their exit from the BJP. Will Mr Prasad who worked as Union Minister for Food and Civil Supplies when A.B. Vajpayee was PM, suffer a similar fate though he enjoys a good rapport with BJP top leaders, considering that he has been a strong critic of the ideology of the saffron party?

Eyebrows were raised when Mr Prasad announced his decision to join BJP and contest on the party ticket from Nanjangud. For him, it was perhaps, inevitable seeing the caste combination in the constituency with Lingayat and Dalit voters almost equal in number.

For the BJP, it was a blessing in disguise as they have on their side a strong Dalit leader who could be useful in the 2018 Assembly polls.

“One or two leaders may have quit the party due to personal reasons. Still we have a good number of leaders from both Congress and JD(S) who have adjusted to BJP culture. We will ensure Mr Prasad’s self-respect is protected to the hilt", former minister and BJP MLA Arvind Limbavali told DC.

In 1991, the BJP claimed a prize catch when Mr Wadiyar joined the party after he quit the Congress following differences. After Mr Wadiyar lost to Ms Chandraprabha Urs of Congress in the Parliament polls, the BJP sidelined him and soon the Mysuru scion bid good bye to the party complaining of ‘suffocation’.
No different was the fate of former CM S. Bangarappa, who broke away from the Congress and launched a regional party only to burn his fingers. He too joined BJP amid much fanfare and became Lok Sabha member from Shivamogga but ultimately resigned following his differences with state BJP leaders.

Subsequently, he got elected as MP from Shivamogga on a Samajwadi Party ticket and at the fag end of his life, joined JD(S).

Sources close to Mr Prasad told DC that he agreed to join the BJP on the condition that his self-respect would not be hurt. He has already said that the coming by-poll would be his last and his son-in-law may contest from the same constituency in 2018. But the question remains if Mr Prasad will have his way considering the mood swings BJP state president B.S. Yeddyurappa is prone to.

The veteran Dalit leader may not take kindly to any verbal attack and may not hesitate to severe his connection with the saffron party, said sources. Mr Limbavali is sure such a situation will not arise as Mr Yeddyurappa has changed a lot after he became BJP state president and was treating everyone with respect. All BJP leaders and workers would work as a team to ensure Mr Prasad's victory in the coming by-poll, he added.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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