No end to BJP infighting in Karnataka more than a month after Assembly poll debacle

Senior BJP leader and former MLA MP Renukacharya has demanded the resignation of party state president and MP Nalin Kumar Kateel for the party’s miserable performance in the recently-concluded Assembly polls.

The election, held on 10 May, saw the Congress romp home by winning 135 seats in the 224-member Karnataka Assembly, while the BJP had to settle for a humbling 66 seats.

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Blaming the Congress

BJP veteran leader and former deputy chief minister KS Eshwarappa sparked controversy after he blamed “Congress influence” for indiscipline in the saffron cadre.

“Some of the leaders from the Congress switched loyalty to the BJP and we are experiencing its impact,” said Eshwarappa, indirectly referring to the 17 defectors who played a key role in the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government and helped the BJP come back to power in 2019.

Meanwhile, the tussle between former minister Murugesh Nirani and Vijayapura City MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal has escalated in the Belagavi region.

After the supporters of Yatnal raised slogans against the Nirani and six-time MP Ramesh Jigajinagi and created nuisance at a party’s event held in Vijayapura on 27 June, Jigajinagi, Nirani and other former MLAs walked out of the programme and demanded an apology from the Vijayapura City MLA.

Earlier, Mysuru MP Pratap Simha and BJP National General Secretary CT Ravi accused former chief ministers BS Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai of indulging in “adjustment politics” when they were in power, and not launching investigations into the corruption charges against senior Congress leaders.

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Eshwarappa takes U-turn

A day after blaming a section of BJP leaders, who were formerly affiliated with the Congress, Eshwarappa took a U-turn and clarified that he had not meant to accuse them of being responsible for indiscipline in the party.

“I want to clarify that the media has twisted my statements and created nuisance. I have neither taken the name of any of the defectors nor blamed them for the indiscipline in the party,” Eshwarappa told reporters.

He further said: “I have only said the wind of Congress culture affected us and resulted in a little indiscipline in the party. I have not named a single person in my press conference.”

Eshwarappa’s clarification came when, responding to media reports of his statement, former minister BC Patil, who was among the 17 defectors, told reporters: “I am surprised that Eshwarappa, being a senior leader, has made such statements about us. He should not forget that it is because of us (defectors), the party has come to power in 2019.”

“It is because of us he was a minister in the Yediyurappa and Bommai governments. It would be wrong on his part to make such comments,” charged Patil.

Of the 17 MLAs who defected, two didn’t contest, nine lost their seats, and only six have managed to emerge victorious in the 10 May Karnataka Assembly polls.

After the dissent broke out within the BJP, state president Kateel appealed to the leaders not to harm the dignity of the party.

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Renukacharya seeks Kateel’s resignation    

Meanwhile, BJP leader and former Honnali MLA MP Renukacharya urged Kateel to step down from his post taking moral responsibility for the party’s defeat in the Assembly elections.

“I request the BJP state president, it is under your leadership that the party has lost the Assembly polls miserably. You should resign taking moral responsibility for the defeat,” tweeted Renukacharya.

ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರಿಗೆ ವಿನಂತಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೇನೆ ನಿಮ್ಮ ನೇತೃತ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ಚುನಾವಣೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹೀನಾಯವಾಗಿ ಸೋತಿದೆ. ತಾವು ನೈತಿಕ ಹೊಣೆ ಹೊತ್ತು ರಾಜೀನಾಮೆ ನೀಡಬೇಕು.

ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ಪಕ್ಷವನ್ನು ಮತ್ತೆ ಅಧಿಕಾರಕ್ಕೆ ತರಬೇಕು. ಮೋದಿಜಿ ಅವರನ್ನು ಮತ್ತೊಮ್ಮೆ ಪ್ರಧಾನಿ ಮಾಡಲು ನಾವೆಲ್ಲ ಪಕ್ಷದ ನಾಯಕರು ಕಾರ್ಯಕರ್ತರನ್ನು ಜೋಡಣೆ ಮಾಡಬೇಕು.

— M P Renukacharya (@MPRBJP) June 28, 2023

He is the first leader in the saffron cadre to openly urge Kateel to resign for the state president’s post.

In another tweet, he said: “Elders like Yediyurappa, the late Ananth Kumar, Jagadish Shettar, and Eshwarappa have built the BJP in Karnataka by working day and night. Some of these leaders were ignored during the polls, which resulted in the party’s loss.”

Renukacharya told reporters in Davanagere: “The central leadership has taken many wrong decisions like sidelining senior leaders like Yediyurappa, Shettar, and Laxman Savadi in the elections.”

“Yediyurappa was not confined to the Lingayat community but was a leader of all communities. His stepping down from the post of chief minister was a serious blow to the cadre. Apart from this, the party denying tickets to senior leaders Shettar, Eshwarappa, and Savadi also affected the BJP’s prospects in the polls.”

“The party’s decision to field 72 new faces was also one of the factors for the setback. The Congress was announcing their manifesto from January 2023, but we delayed in releasing our manifesto. The BJP did not lose elections because of its workers, but because of many wrong decisions taken by the party,” fumed Renukacharya.

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Tussle escalates between Yatnal, Nirani   

The verbal war between two leaders of the Panchamasali sub-sect of the Lingayats — Vijayapura City MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and former minister Murugesh Nirani — has escalated in the last few days.

At a party event in Vijayapura on Monday that was inaugurated by former chief minister Bommai, altercations were witnessed between the supporters of Nirani and Yatnal. Yatnal’s supporters demanded that the event not be inaugurated till the Vijayapura City MLA arrived at the venue.

Apart from this, when MP Jigajinagi and former minister and MLA Shashikala Jolle were addressing the party workers, Yatnal’s supporters yet again interrupted with slogans hailing him.

Irked by the behaviour of Yatnal’s supporters, many BJP leaders, including Jigajinagi, Nirani, AS Patil Nadahalli, Ramesh Bhusanur, and Appasaheb Pattanshetty, walked out of the event.

Accusing Yatnal of indulging in anti-party activities, Nirani told reporters in Vijayapura on Wednesday: “There is evidence against him of doing anti-party activities. Being a BJP leader, he has to ensure the victory of the party leaders; instead he has cut a deal with other parties in the election.”

Yatnal indulged in anti-party activities: Nirani

“He was also seen partying and sharing internal matters with the opponents at the time of elections. He did not manage to get more seats for the party either in his district or wherever he campaigned. He played a role in the defeat of party leaders,” alleged Nirani.

On Yatnal’s followers, Nirani said: “The behaviour of Yatnal supporters is unacceptable. This is not the way you treat a former chief minister when he comes to inaugurate an event. Yatnal has to apologise for this.”

Jigajinagi told reporters: “I am deeply pained by this incident. I am hurt that I was not allowed to speak on the achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the event.”

“In my over four-decade political career, I have never ill-treated anyone. If anyone mistreats me, I won’t spare them. I have been elected nine times — six-times as an MP and three-times as a legislator — by the people,” said Jigajinagi, adding that he was not afraid of anyone.