Bengaluru: Former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar has accused BJP nationwide basic secretary (organisation) B.L. Santhosh of “destroying the celebration’s probabilities” within the upcoming meeting elections and “ending off” senior leaders as a part of his “gameplan” to take absolute management of the BJP state unit.
A six-time MLA and outstanding Lingayat face, Shettar joined the Congress Monday after he was denied a ticket by the BJP — one of the crucial high-profile exits within the run-up to the ten Could polls. He might be contesting from the Hubli-Dharwad (Central) seat — which he represented within the outgoing Decrease Home — on a Congress ticket after BJP denied him the chance.
Whereas chatting with mediapersons Tuesday, Shettar went on a tirade in opposition to Santosh, who he known as ‘Manasaputra’ (the ‘mind-born’ sons of Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, who’s believed to have created plenty of kids from his thoughts).
“Once I studied all this, I realised that there was a conspiracy. The central leaders knew that Jagadish Shettar had the potential of successful with a good larger margin. When it got here to the query of denial of ticket, what I noticed was one outstanding individual. There could also be different folks with this individual however who I noticed instantly is the one who everybody reveres…B.L. Santhosh. He’s the primary motive for all this,” Shettar instructed reporters in Dharwad Tuesday.
The ex-CM additionally educated his weapons on Tamil Nadu BJP president and election co-incharge for the celebration in Karnataka Ok Annamalai, Karnataka celebration chief Nalin Kumar Kateel and a number of other others, accusing them of pushing their very own candidates and “humiliating” senior leaders, forcing their departure.
Other than Shettar, different senior state BJP leaders who’ve stop after being denied tickets embody ex-deputy CM and Lingayat chief Laxman Savadi, and Ok.S. Eshwerappa.
A divisive determine in Karnataka politics, B.L. Santhosh instructions staunch loyalty from a bit of BJP leaders, but additionally evokes robust feelings from those that oppose his “extreme interference” in state affairs.
On Tuesday, Shettar additionally claimed that a couple of people from Santhosh’s camp have stored the state beneath their tight fists.
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Santhosh’s ‘plotting’ & Lingayat conundrum
Santhosh, a Brahmin, shares a tumultuous relationship with former chief minister and tallest Lingayat chief B.S. Yediyurappa. He had earlier been accused of sidelining Yediyurappa and being chargeable for his ouster from the highest chair in 2021. There have been additionally reviews of the previous allegedly making an attempt to take over as chief minister himself, resulting in resistance from opposing camps from the dominant Lingayat neighborhood.
Shettar Tuesday claimed that Santhosh “plotted” to offer state BJP basic secretary Mahesh Tenginkai the ticket from Hubli-Dharwad (Central), and that can have an effect on the celebration’s probabilities throughout the state.
Shettar’s exit and Yediyurappa’s resolution to not contest elections — which many imagine weren’t voluntary — have added to the celebration’s rising discord with the Lingayat neighborhood, which has backed the BJP since 2008. Former deputy CM Laxman Savadi additionally parted with the BJP and is contesting from Athani on a Congress ticket, including to the checklist of Lingayat leaders leaping ship and lending to claims that members of this neighborhood have been being ill-treated by the celebration.
The neighborhood additionally wavered in its assist throughout Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s preliminary reluctance to heed to the group’s reservation-related calls for and agitation.
Shettar instructed reporters that he had aired his issues at state BJP core committee conferences about “whispering campaigns” in opposition to him however nobody paid any consideration to the identical. “This isn’t about disturbing one constituency however will result in cracks within the celebration’s basis in the whole state,” he stated.
The previous chief minister alleged that a number of different senior leaders of the celebration missed out on tickets due to Santhosh, who has “a poor report” of election losses.
‘Modi, Shah not being given all information about discord’
Shettar additionally claimed that Dharmendra Pradhan, Arun Singh and different senior leaders who’re in command of Karnataka weren’t offering all the knowledge about floor stage discord to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and House Minister Amit Shah.
On Annamalai, he stated: “There are a number of individuals who have gained six, seven instances. However an individual who has by no means contested elections is made co-incharge of Karnataka.”
He added that former chief ministers like himself and D.V. Sadananda Gowda have been made to take a seat within the second row at most celebration conferences like “small boys” whereas Annamalai and others sat within the entrance chairs. “After we have been in energy, he was an IPS officer who took orders from us. After he joined the BJP and have become co-incharge, we needed to sit in entrance of them like small boys. Why do we’d like this humiliation?”
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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