On a day when union home minister and BJP poll manager Amit Shah came to Karnataka, to “unify” a state unit that has been at odds with each other, rebel BJP senior leader K S Eshwarappa, wearing a saffron shawl with Om inscribed on it, dismissed any overtures from the party second-in-command to withdraw from the Shivamogga Parliamentary segment as an independent.
He, however, was quick to add that Shah had urged him to come to Delhi on Tuesday and he had accepted the invitation for discussion
Having openly declared his rebellion and claiming that he is on the path to “cleanse” the Karnataka BJP of dynastic politics, Eshwarappa on Monday held a press conference and said: “Shah called me in the morning and urged me to reconsider my decision to contest as an independent. I have categorically told him that I will not withdraw.”
A defiant Eshwarappa said he explained to the union home minister, in detail, the reasons for his contest in the fray from Shivamogga.
“I made four points to Shah in our telephonic conversation when he asked as to why I was contesting despite me being such a senior politician in the party. I told him that the Karnataka BJP was going the way of the Congress party with dynastic politics on the rise with the state unit in the hands of one family, that of B S Yediyurappa.With Yediyurappa being personally in the central parliamentary board, one son being an MP in B Y Raghavendra and his second son B Y Vijayendra becoming the party state president, it has hurt a lot of the party cadre who have built the party and worked for the party, ” he said.
Eshwarappa reminded that the prime minister Narendra Modi had been seeking the rejection of the same dynastic politics which is practiced in the opposition parties .
Secondly, he said that loyal party workers who had firm belief in the Hindutva agenda, myself, C T Ravi, Ananth Kumar Hegde, Basangouda Patil Yatnal, D V Sadananda Gowda and Pratap Simha have all been sidelined and cadre expressing their core ideology are fearing whether they are in the wrong.
The third point, which Eshwarappa claimed he told Shah was that the entire state cadre are disappointed with the dynastic politics and there was a need to set things right as a result of which he was contesting.
“The fourth point I made was that in the entire state there was grave injustice made towards the other backward communities (OBC) by being denied tickets. I have been receiving calls from across the state. As a result of this I am contesting polls,” he added.
Eshwarappa then added that Shah asked him to consider the political future of his son, to which the former said that he had taken his son into confidence before taking his decision.
“Finally, Shah has asked me to come to Delhi and I have agreed to meet him as they are our party senior leadership. I have told him that even if I come to Delhi, I urge you to not ask me to withdraw from the elections,” said Eshwarappa.
The former deputy chief minister said he will be meeting Shah on Tuesday evening.
Later in the day, Shah chaired the BJP-JD(S) core committee meeting and asked both the parties state leaders to ensure that Congress does not win a single seat.
He is said to have commissioned a coordination committee at every Parliamentary seat level to ensure that campaigning is conducted jointly and smoothly at the local level.
Shah also chaired the core committee meeting of the Davangere, Chitradurga, Tumakuru and Chikkaballapura Lok Sabha segments leaders and senior functionaries.
He, however, was quick to add that Shah had urged him to come to Delhi on Tuesday and he had accepted the invitation for discussion
Having openly declared his rebellion and claiming that he is on the path to “cleanse” the Karnataka BJP of dynastic politics, Eshwarappa on Monday held a press conference and said: “Shah called me in the morning and urged me to reconsider my decision to contest as an independent. I have categorically told him that I will not withdraw.”
A defiant Eshwarappa said he explained to the union home minister, in detail, the reasons for his contest in the fray from Shivamogga.
“I made four points to Shah in our telephonic conversation when he asked as to why I was contesting despite me being such a senior politician in the party. I told him that the Karnataka BJP was going the way of the Congress party with dynastic politics on the rise with the state unit in the hands of one family, that of B S Yediyurappa.With Yediyurappa being personally in the central parliamentary board, one son being an MP in B Y Raghavendra and his second son B Y Vijayendra becoming the party state president, it has hurt a lot of the party cadre who have built the party and worked for the party, ” he said.
Eshwarappa reminded that the prime minister Narendra Modi had been seeking the rejection of the same dynastic politics which is practiced in the opposition parties .
Secondly, he said that loyal party workers who had firm belief in the Hindutva agenda, myself, C T Ravi, Ananth Kumar Hegde, Basangouda Patil Yatnal, D V Sadananda Gowda and Pratap Simha have all been sidelined and cadre expressing their core ideology are fearing whether they are in the wrong.
The third point, which Eshwarappa claimed he told Shah was that the entire state cadre are disappointed with the dynastic politics and there was a need to set things right as a result of which he was contesting.
“The fourth point I made was that in the entire state there was grave injustice made towards the other backward communities (OBC) by being denied tickets. I have been receiving calls from across the state. As a result of this I am contesting polls,” he added.
Eshwarappa then added that Shah asked him to consider the political future of his son, to which the former said that he had taken his son into confidence before taking his decision.
“Finally, Shah has asked me to come to Delhi and I have agreed to meet him as they are our party senior leadership. I have told him that even if I come to Delhi, I urge you to not ask me to withdraw from the elections,” said Eshwarappa.
The former deputy chief minister said he will be meeting Shah on Tuesday evening.
Later in the day, Shah chaired the BJP-JD(S) core committee meeting and asked both the parties state leaders to ensure that Congress does not win a single seat.
He is said to have commissioned a coordination committee at every Parliamentary seat level to ensure that campaigning is conducted jointly and smoothly at the local level.
Shah also chaired the core committee meeting of the Davangere, Chitradurga, Tumakuru and Chikkaballapura Lok Sabha segments leaders and senior functionaries.
