Bengaluru: While the BJP high command made it clear recently that it would not tolerate dissidence in the state unit, it’s not all smooth sailing for party president, B.S. Yeddyurappa either. The poor turnout at the event to induct retired IAS officer, K.Shivaram, into the party in Bengaluru recently appears to have worked against him.
Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, who was at the programme, is said to have been upset with the state BJP unit for the poor show at the National College grounds on October 14, and pulled it up for failing to mobilise enough of a crowd for the meeting.
According to party sources, many of the senior leaders and workers stayed away from the function as Mr. Yeddyurappa failed to inform the BJP city unit about Mr Shivaram joining the party and left it to his diehard supporters, Shobha Karandlaje, Aravind Limbavali and D. Veeraiah to organize it.
A senior BJP leader claimed the former Chief Minister did not discuss Mr Shivaram’s induction into the party with even its core committee members and took the decision all by himself.
“We had no idea about Shivaram joining the party until the programme was organised at the National College grounds to induct him. The matter was not discussed at the core committee meeting,” said a committee member.
Seeing the poor turnout and Mr Singh’s disapproval, Mr. Yeddyurappa was himself reportedly upset with the party city cadres for failing to organise the event on a grander scale.
But going by his party rivals, the damage was done and the high command got to see for itself the effect of his unilateral decision making.
