Santosh urged BJP workers to not 'ill-treat' new entrants and stop demeaning them as 'Bombay Boys’, even as he implied poaching Congress MLAs was a "day's job".
Published Sep 02, 2023 | 12:48 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 02, 2023 | 2:53 PM
BJP National general secretary (organisation) BL Santosh chaired meeting with the party leaders and workers in Bengaluru on Thursday. (supplied)
In an attempt to bring about unity in the Karnataka BJP unit grappling with a leadership crisis, the party’s national general secretary (Organisation) BL Santhosh called for a meeting. Several leaders stayed away from the meeting, exposing the gnawing issues in the BJP post its poll debacle in the state.
Santosh chaired the meeting of party MLAs and candidates defeated in the 10 May Karnataka Assembly polls at the state party headquarters, Jagannath Bhavan, in Bengaluru on Thursday, 31 August. Even as he pushed for unity, disgruntled leaders claimed they weren’t intimated about the meeting in advance.
Party sources claimed that the meeting was held following reports of a few MLAs planning to quit the party and leaders were upset and openly expressed disappointment over the high command’s delay in appointing the leader of the Opposition for the legislative assembly and council, and the state president.
Former chief ministers BS Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai, former deputy chief minister KS Eshwarappa, BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel, Padmanabanagar MLA R Ashok and Mahalakshmi Layout MLA K Gopalaiah, and other leaders from Shivamogga district skipped the meeting, citing personal commitments.
Some others, including Yeshwanthpur MLA ST Somashekhar, Yellapur MLA Shivaram Hebbar, and former MLA MP Renukacharya. reportedly distanced themselves from the meeting.
After the defectors who jumped ship to the BJP in 2019 expressed unhappiness over many leaders ill-treating them, Santosh appealed to the party leaders and workers not to mistreat them.
Somashekar and Hebbar, two among the 17 defectors who played key roles in toppling the Congress-JD(S) alliance government in 2019, and helped BJP back to power, have expressed anger over party leaders and workers conspiring against them during the Assembly polls and also mistreating them.
At the meeting, Santosh urged the party leaders and workers to consider them as party leaders and respect them.
On condition of anonymity, a senior leader told South First: “The main agenda of the meeting was about strengthening the party base at the grassroots for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.”
“BL Santosh urged the party leaders and workers not to ill-treat defectors and must stop identifying them as ‘Bombay Boys’ or ‘turncoats’ because they are also part of the cadre. They should be respected like other leaders,” he said, quoting Santosh.
Santosh also urged the party leaders and workers to work unitedly to strengthen the party’s base for the Lok Sabha elections.
BJP’s former deputy chief minister Govind Karjol told South First: “Santosh directed all the leaders, including MLAs and MLCs, to work at the grassroots level and take up the responsibility of all booths and mandals in their respective segments.”
“He stressed on taking BJP programmes to the people’s doorsteps in all districts. The deliberations were on strengthening the cadre at the grassroots level for the Lok Sabha elections,” Karjol added.
ರಾಜ್ಯ ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ಕಾರ್ಯಾಲಯ ಜಗನ್ನಾಥ ಭವನದಲ್ಲಿ ಮತದಾರ ಚೇತನ ಮಹಾಭಿಯಾನದ ನಿಮಿತ್ತ ಇಂದು ನಡೆದ ಲೋಕಸಭಾ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರಗಳ ಮತದಾರರ ಪಟ್ಟಿ ಪರಿಷ್ಕರಣೆ ಅಭಿಯಾನ ಕಾರ್ಯಾಗಾರದ ಸಮಾರೋಪವನ್ನು ಉದ್ದೇಶಿಸಿ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಸಂಘಟನಾ ಪ್ರಧಾನ ಕಾರ್ಯದರ್ಶಿಗಳಾದ ಶ್ರೀ @blsanthosh ಅವರು ಮಾತನಾಡಿದರು. pic.twitter.com/GIAYQhaHzh
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) August 31, 2023
“He also asked the leaders not to worry about the delay in the appointment of the Opposition leaders and state president, and urged them to strengthen the party. He said that the party will make a decision at the right time,” Karjol said.
On the absence of many leaders, including dissident MLAs, from the meeting, he said: “BS Yediyurappa and other leaders from Shivamogga did not participate because they had personal commitments. Even state president Nalin Kumar Kateel was pre-occupied.”
“The party will address the qualms of all the dissident MLAs. The dissent is not only within the BJP but the Congress is also facing the same. Those who have made up their mind about leaving the party, we cannot convince them,” Karjol added.
Santosh sprang a surprise at the meeting by reportedly saying that 40 to 45 Congress MLAs were in contact with him and if high command gives the nod— “it is just a one-day job”.
Santhosh made the statement amidst talks of Congress planning to welcome disgruntled BJP leaders in what has been touted as “Operation Hasta” – a Congress equivalent of “Operation Lotus”.
There were rumours in political circles that some of the BJP leaders, including MLAs Somashekar and Hebbar, and former Minister Shankar Patil Munenkoppa, a close aide of former chief minister and MLC Jagadish Shettar, were likely to quit the saffron party and pledge allegiance to the grand-old-party before the general elections.
Countering the Congress, Santhosh said: “None of the leaders will quit BJP. If 10 people quit, I can bring an equal number of leaders.”
“Around 40 to 45 Congress MLAs are in contact. If the central leadership gives the consent, it is a mere one-day job for me to bring them to the party. But we don’t have any necessity. There is no need for us to form the government,” he hinted that the BJP was capable of countering the Congress plans.
Ridiculing Santhosh’s claim, Karnataka minister for RDPR, IT & BT Priyank Kharge challenged the BJP senior leader to attempt poaching the Congress MLAs. “Not one day but we will give BL Santhosh one full month. Let him show what he can do to our government. In the meantime, let him also pick the Leader of the Opposition in a week’s time,” he dared the BJP leader.
Upset with the party’s high command over various reasons including not inviting them to the meeting, several BJP MLAs and former legislators distanced themselves from the party meeting.
Somashekar and Hebbar, former ministers V Somanna and Shankar Patil Munenakoppa, and MP Renukacharya were some of the disgruntled leaders who stayed away from the meeting chaired by Santhosh.
On why he was not turned up for the meeting, Hebbar told South First: “I have not received any invitation for the meeting either from Santhosh or the party. I will not attend such meetings uninvited.”
“I would not like to comment on leaving the party. I have already made many statements to the media that I have no plans of quitting the BJP,” Hebbar added.
Lashing out at the high command, Renukacharya told reporters: “After the elections, the dissent and differences have erupted within the party. The party should have spoken directly to all leaders to redress the grievances but no such effort has been made.”
“I am not leaving the party because I am an honest party karyakarta. Our party leaders are spreading canards against me. If I meet any Congress leaders, false news is immediately being spread that I am quitting the party. I will clarify that I will continue my affiliation with the BJP,” he reiterated.
Criticizing the party’s high command, he said: “The high command sidelined Lingayat strongman BS Yediyurappa during the elections. I am not afraid of anyone; I speak only the truth.”
“The party slapped me with a notice for speaking in favour of Yediyurappa and asked me to reply within seven days. I did not turn up for the meeting because of this notice. The conspiracies are being hatched within the party against Yediyurappa with the sole intention of sidelining him,” charged the former MLA.
