Infighting & adjustment politics will take BJP to new low in K’taka: Patil Yatnal
Bengaluru, March 27 (IANS) BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, expelled for six years following his open rebellion against state chief B.Y. Vijayendra and his father, former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, said on Thursday that the infighting and adjustment politics will take the BJP to a new low in Karnataka.
“Those vested interests who rampantly indulged in adjustment politics weakening the party in Karnataka and leading to its defeat in the impregnable fortress of BJP such as Kalburgi, Koppal, Raichur, Bellary, Chikkodi constituencies have gone scott free without any disciplinary action; while those who wanted to reform the party by wanting to end the one man upmanship and family-centred politics have been suspended or given notices. The infighting, undercurrents and adjustment politics will take the party to a new low in Karnataka unless reforms are undertaken,” he stated,” he claimed.
He also claimed that the two legislators who have openly rebelled against the party and were seen supporting the Congress party have either been ignored or sent a notice only after being pressurised by the party workers.
“The high command has completely ignored the defeat of the party and the weakening of the party in the Kalyana Karnata region, which we built from scratch three decades ago. The high command is clueless about the defeat of the party in the North Karnataka region, where the BJP has a very strong voter base, particularly Panchamasali Lingayats, it has also ignored the adjustment politics resulting in the defeat of BJP in the by-polls in Shiggaon which was held by former CM Basavaraj Bommai,” he said.
He claimed that the failure of the party to aggressively counter the policies of the Congress government led to its defeat in the bypolls – a factor conveniently ignored by the high command.
“The defeat of the party in Davangere Lok Sabha, where we started building/strengthening our party organisation in the early 1990s, is a classic of how adjustment politics can wreak havoc and weaken the party,” he said.
He added that the party has completely forgotten the Late G. Mallikarjunappa (father of former MP G M Siddeshwar), who invested his resources to strengthen the party and the cadre.
“It was due to the selfless service of late Mallikarjunappa, late B.B Shivappa, K. S. Eshwarappa, late V. S. Acharya, and many others that strengthened the party in Karnataka,” he said.
He said that some leaders in the state, are now masquerading as carriers of the party legacy will only cause the party’s downfall in the days to come.
“I had singlehandedly took on the ruling dispensation in Karnataka by launching the Waqf protests and ensured justice to farmers. The documentation we submitted to the JPC was well received and appreciated by its Chairman Jagadambika Pal. I spent my resources and engaged my legal team to fight the withdrawal of CBI consent in the disproportionate assets case about Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar without expecting any political benefits,” he stated.
“Besides, I have filed a written petition before the Hon’ble High Court on the Valmiki Board misappropriation case and was one of the few legislators to speak in detail about the non-allocation of funds to North Karnataka. I have been a vocal critic of the functioning of the KPSC, highlighting its failures in the assembly and outside,” Yatnal stated.
–IANS
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