Bengaluru: The BJP central leadership is expected to announce its action on the rebellion in the state unit, before the commencement of the two-day state executive committee meeting to be held in Mysuru from May 6. A section of BJP leaders led by opposition leader in the Legislative Council K.S. Eshwarappa have openly challenged the leadership of party state president B.S. Yeddyurappa and had even organised ‘a Save organisation’ meeting a couple of days ago.
Party sources told Deccan Chronicle that BJP national general secretary Muralidhar Rao, who is in charge of Karnataka affairs and BJP national president Amit Shah have held two rounds of talks regarding the current crisis. Rao submitted his report on recent developments after meeting senior leaders in Bengaluru on Saturday and Sunday.
The national general secretary is learnt to have requested Shah to take immediate steps to settle problems before they go out of hand. Shah was told how Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council K.S. Eshwarappa is still involved in activities of the Sangolli Rayanna Brigade and has cited the permission given by Shah in Delhi on January 27, after a meeting in which Yeddyurappa too participated.
The sources said that Shah was very annoyed with Eshwarappa for claiming that he had given the nod for the brigade’s activities and is learnt to have instructed Rao on the course of action to be taken which will be announced shortly.
There are no plans now to summon Yeddyurappa or Eshwarappa to Delhi. Rao is also learnt to have informed Shah about Eshwarappa not meeting him in Bengaluru though he was available in the party office for almost two days.
Senior leaders in Karnataka are very upset and want Shah to instruct Eshwarappa to stay away from the brigade’s activities and instead strengthen the party. Already, dissent had cropped up in many districts with supporters of the two leaders trading charges in public.
Defiant KS Eshwarappa to attend brigade meetings
Senior BJP leader K.S. Eshwarappa, who is leading a battle against the party's state unit chief B.S. Yeddyurappa's style of functioning, has decided to take part in the activities of the Sangolli Rayanna Brigade, ignoring the central leadership’s diktat. Sangolli Rayanna Brigade and Sangolli Rayanna Yuva Brigade office-bearers' meets will take place on May 8 in Raichur.
“Some leaders are meeting at Raichur.... I’m attending the preparatory meeting," Eshwarappa told reporters on Tuesday after paying obeisance at the Raghavendra Swami Math near Karnataka-Andhra border. Later, Eshwarappa told reporters at Raichur that BJP chief Amit Shah had not opposed the activities of the Brigade and that he was only following his instructions. “...I will not defy the (BJP) national president's directions. I have been following his instructions. He had asked us to continue (with the brigade activities). The brigade is emerging as a forum of Dalits and backward classes,” he said.
Claiming that the Congress party would not have come to power in the state had Yeddyurappa not floated the Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP), Eshwarappa said that a “united BJP” could once again form the government in Karnataka.
