The two have emerged leaders of warring BJP groups in the state.
Two ministers from coastal Karnataka have emerged leaders of the warring BJP groups in the state. While fisheries minister and Karwar MLA Anand Asnotikar has identified himself with chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda’s group, energy minister Shobha Karandlaje, who is from Sullia taluk of the coastal district of Dakshina Kannada, has been spearheading campaigns for former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa.
The Asnotikar group, currently in New Delhi, has expressed dismay over the pressure tactics played by the group led by Karandlaje: “If they were serious about resigning from the cabinet, they should have handed over resignations to either the chief minister or the speaker.
What is the use of giving resignations to a former chief minister who is now nothing but an MLA? They joined Yeddyurappa’s bandwagon simply to destabilise the BJP government,” Asnotikar told DNA.
“This incident (handing over resignations to BSY) has shaken our trust in the party. The nine ministers, who have tendered their resignations to BSY, have shown disregard for democracy. A party like BJP should secure internal democracy before seeking people’s mandate,” K Rama Bhat, a senior BJP leader, said.
The rumbling in BJP’s state unit had begun during Assembly elections in 2008 when senior party leaders expressed reservations against denial of party ticket to Shakuntala Shetty, former MLA from Puttur.
The vacancy was supposed to have filled by Shobha Karandlaje, but Yeddyurappa created a place for her in Yeshwantpur constituency in Bangalore, from where she won.
“It is not surprising that Yeddyurappa has praised Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s leadership qualities. He has displayed characterless politics and nepotism over the last three years; this befits Congress’ culture,” Bhat said.
Some BJP leaders from the coastal region have appreciated the statement made by Congress Rajya Sabha member BK Hariprasad in New Delhi on Saturday. Hariprasad alleged that top BJP leaders were also beneficiaries of the favours given to the mining mafia by Yeddyurappa and that the CBI inquiry should include them as well.
“Senior BJP leaders, including Sushma Swaraj and Nitin Gadkari, visited Bellary when Janardhana Reddy was powerful. Also, Reddy brothers and B Sriramulu (now an Independent MLA) invited Swaraj for Varamahalakshmi pujas and called her their ‘mother’. Unholy nexus between politics and business has ruined BJP’s values and now we are paying for it through the Yeddyurappa episode,” Eshwar Bhat, a senior Sangh Parivar leader in Puttur, told DNA.
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