Fissures in Karnataka BJP unit widen, leaders summoned to Delhi

The squabbling in BJP’s Karnataka has taken a new turn with a section of the party’s leadership in the State deciding to stand by former federal Minister Basavanagowda Patil Yatnal, who has been summoned by the Central leadership for publicly launching a tirade against Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.

While general secretary of BJP’s Karnataka unit and MLC Aravind Limbavalli has questioned the sanctity of the recommendation made by the BJP Ministers in the coalition Government in the State to initiate disciplinary action against Yatnal for his public outbursts, the party unit’s disciplinary committee headed by MLC Mukhyamantri Chandru has shot off a letter to party’s national President Rajnath Singh criticizing Yediyurappa’s “dictatorial” attitude.

Chandru told reporters that he had sent a detailed report to the party’s national leadership on the “disturbing” developments in the BJP’s Karnataka unit ever since August 2005 when Yediyurappa had threatened to walk out of the party along with a large chunk of MLAs.

“Under Yediyurappa’s dictatorial dispensation, leaders like Yatnal no longer had a forum within the party to air their grievances”, Chandru said. But, he hastened to add that he was not defending Yatnal’s decision to publicly lash out at Yediyurappa.

Meanwhile, the developments in the BJP’s Karnataka unit had caused considerable consternation among the party’s national leaders. With the frequency of spats between factions of the party headed by former Federal Minister Ananthkumar and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa only increasing by the day, the BJP’s two-day national executive meeting in New Delhi is expected to figure on the agenda of the discussions.

The party’s central leadership has summoned not only Yatnal, but also Yediyurappa and Ananthkumar. “I am leaving for New Delhi today and I will present my case before the leaders there”, Yatnal told reporters on Monday.

Armed with complaints against each other, leaders of the two factions are raring for a showdown at the national executive committee meeting of the party, beginning from Monday.