Karnataka BJP rift out in open; leaders oppose Yeddyurappa

The simmering revolt in the Karnataka BJP has come out with senior members of the party openly acknowledging their disappointment with B S Yeddyurappa's style of functioning

The brewing rebellion in Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party has blown into an open public rift with senior members of the party openly acknowledging their disappointment with B S Yeddyurappa's style of functioning. The BJP is facing a unprecedented phenomenon with senior leaders like MLC Bhanuprakash openly slamming B S Yeddyurappa's 'dictatorial' ways of administration.

A letter dated January 12, in possession of OneIndia, shows what the true state of affairs in the state BJP is. Some 24 senior leaders of the BJP, including MLAs and MLCs, have written, for the second time, to B S Yeddyurappa expressing their disappointment with his decisions and way of functioning in the party. The letter also expresses disappointment over B S Yeddyurappa not responding to an earlier letter by the same group of leaders dated August 1, 2016. 'We were ecstatic when you became the state president. We were happy that our party would come to power in the next assembly poll and you would become the chief minister. But you have taken unilateral decisions in appointments to party posts without consulting anyone else. You haven't taken the party core committee to confidence. such instances have hurt party cadres,' the letter had stated.

All is not well in the BJP

So far the tug of war was only between K S Eshwarappa and state president B S Yeddyurappa, recent developments show that there is full-blown rebellion in the party. In their letter to B S Yeddyurappa, BJP leaders have stood strong with K S Eshwarappa and have condemned the party's move to remove him from the committee to study drought situation in the state.

BJP MLC Bhanuprakash was forced to address the media openly after party spokesperson G Madhusudhan refuted reports of any such letters. He had said that miscreants have raked up the letter issue and no real leaders had signed on them. Hurt by his statement, BJP leaders came up front to express their disappointment.

The letter also alleges that B S Yeddyurappa's decisions have led the party workers to take sides dividing the party at every district level. The leaders have urged B S Yeddyurappa to revoke the appointments to party posts, a demand that B S Yeddyurappa is unwilling to relent.

Will the BJP's infighting once again help the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular in the upcoming polls? For a party that is in dire need of putting up a united front, if winning the upcoming assembly polls is their agenda, the BJP has a lot of introspection to do.

OneIndia News