Chief of Bharatiya Janata Party, Amit Shah has equally punished both the leader, state President BS Yedurappa and KS Eswarappa in Karnataka unit of the party after both refused to patch up and make nice. The factions, both the leader had been indulging in a slanging match days after the party lost the crucial by-election in Karnataka. Each had asked Mr. Amit Shah to penalize the other. Now Amit Shah, who is in Jammu and Kashmir as part of a 2-week tour, has sacked two office-bearers after a short discussion with its Karnataka in-charge Muralidhar Rao.
Amit Shah is expected to talk tough on them as their adamant stand and ego clash has led to factionalism that could bring doom to the party if not resolved immediately. Shah is expected to tell both the senior leaders to shed their stands and work unitedly to bring the BJP to power in the next election.
Weeks after the BJP’s loss in two crucial elections in Karnataka, the party is not exactly comporting itself with correct behavior. Next year, Karnataka will elect its new government in 2018. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hopes to displace the Congress to reclaim the only south Indian state it has ever governed. BS Yeddyurappa, has been declared the presumptive Chief Minister which has a considerable mass following and the support of his powerful and wealthy community.
KS Eswarappa said,”We can live with all that, but we cannot tolerate his dictatorial approach,” who has emerged as Yeddyurappa’s most senior in-house critic. Today, in a meeting in Bengaluru he said, “We were happy when Party Chief Amit Shah declared Yeddyurappa as the party president and the next Chief Minister, but we can’t sit quietly if he acts as he wants”.
The conflict lies in Mr. Yeddyurappa allegedly overlooking long-term party workers – including KS Eshwarappa – for important party positions while favoring his own loyalists. Mr. Yeddyurappa said “We are bringing everything to the notice of the party leadership. They have also noted it and they will take an appropriate decision. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won Karnataka election in 2008 but its term was stained by corruption scandals involving Mr. Yedduyrappa, who was forced to step down as the CM, after which he founded his own party. But unfortunately, it failed to have any impact and he returned to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the national election in 2014 with the guarantee that he will be its main hero.
Mr. KS Eshwarappa, who derives his power as a leader of a backward caste, Kuruba what he described as an apolitical forum to unite Backward Classes and Dalits- a politically crucial coalition, held conclaves in different parts of Karnataka, declaring this will boost the party’s popularity, though it also helped Eswarappa to assert himself.
