Days after the BJP’s central disciplinary committee slapped a show cause notice on Vijayaputra MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, the veteran leader remained defiant and claimed that he had not indulged in any “anti-party” activity but only spoken against the former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa and his son and state party president B.Y. Vijayendra.
Yatnal who met Om Pathak, member secretary of the committee in Delhi on Thursday claimed he had apprised the party about the developments in the state BJP and made three appeals – to end dynastic politics in the party, remove corrupt leaders from key posts who were indulging in “adjustment politics” with the ruling Congress.
Yatnal also claimed that the BJP national president had gathered information from the MPs independently.
Stating that he had given a six-page letter to Pathak, Yatnal said, “I urged the party leadership to send a neutral leader from Delhi to the state and meet the state leaders individually to elicit their opinion. Many leaders are dissatisfied with the Yediyurappa family’s style of running the party. But none of these leaders are speaking out as they value the party ideology and discipline.”
“A leader who considers the party as his own mother should be sent to Karnataka. Most leaders also feel that the party should come out of cooperative (adjustment) politics, remove corrupt leaders and come out of the clutches of a single family. We need to strengthen the Hindutva ideology in the party,” he said.
While, the rebel faction comprising senior leaders like Arvind Limbavali, Ramesh Jarkiholi, Pratap Simha, Kumar Bangarappa, G.M. Siddeshwar, Anna Saheb Jolle, and B.P. Harish have opposed Vijayendra’s leadership.
The supporters of Vijayendra felt that the high command was dealing with the rebels with kid gloves. They demanded stern action against any leader who challenged the state leadership as it demoralised the cadres too.
Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi stated that Vijayendra was too young to be leading the party in the state as he also lacked experience.
“I reiterate that Vijayendra is a misfit for the post as he does not have the seriousness owing to his young age. Yediyurappa had earned his position through his seniority, long struggle and hard work. But Vijayendra got it easy because of his father. He was made the party chief under some circumstances and we have apprised the high command of his behaviour and conduct. Let us see what the party decides,” said Jarkiholi.
The rebel faction took out a separate anti-waqf campaign in the state, while the three teams officially constituted by the party to study the waqf issues went on a separate tour, causing embarrassment to the party and creating confusion among the cadres.
“The leadership is appreciative of my work in waqf. They have asked me to continue the good work. They also dissuaded me from openly speaking against Yediyurappa and Vijayendra,” claimed Yatnal, whose team is touring seven districts.
His team detected 65,000 properties have been misused, and has submitted nearly 2,500 documentary evidence to the joint parliamentary committee on waqf Jagadambika Pal, seeking dissolution of the waqf board.
Vijayendra who is leading one of three teams on a study tour of waqf-related issues in the state said the state BJP core committee (on December 7) would decide on sending a report on the “anti-party” activities to the party high command.
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“We will send reports on leaders indulging in anti-party activities and that includes even (Yeshwantpur MLA) S.T. Somashekhar who has been openly defying the party diktat by supporting the Congress party,” said Vijayendra.
Yatnal defended his stand saying he neither indulged in anti-party activities nor had he badmouthed any BJP leader barring the Yediyurappa family.
“I have not spoken ill of the party or any BJP leader. Of course, I have expressed my concern over a family taking control of the party and disregarding party loyalists,” said Yatnal.
Interestingly, veteran leader Yediyurappa chose to downplay the issue saying Yatnal was “no outsider” and things would be sorted out with face-to-face discussions.
“Yatnal is a senior member of the party and might be upset over something. The party high command will look into the issue,” said Yediyurappa.
Incidentally, Yatnal, a former union minister had close ties with Yediyurappa, a fellow Lingayat. But the two fell apart after Yediyurappa refused to induct Yatnal into his cabinet in 2019 and subsequently, when Basavaraj Bommai, who succeeded Yediyurappa as the CM kept Yatnal out of his cabinet too, the veteran leader from Vijayapura turned a rebel suspecting Yediyurappa was scuttling his growth in the party.
He vehemently opposed Vijayendra’s anointment as the state party chief saying it would promote dynastic politics. Later, the miffed leader alleged the Yediyurappa family was controlling the party and was not only corrupt but also had an understanding with the Congress leaders in Karnataka.
