The infighting between BS Yeddyurappa,state BJP President and leader of the opposition in the state Assembly with KS Eshwarappa,newly elected Shivamogga city MLA and former leader of the opposition in the legislative council doesn’t looks like going to end in the interest of both and the party.
Thanks to the biennial elections to the state legislative council from the state Assembly early next month the selection of party candidates for the same has given rise to a new row now between the warring leaders.
BJ Puttaswamy,DS Veeraiah,Ranganath Malkapure and MB Bhanuprakash,four BJP members are retiring from the upper house while based on the strength in the Assembly BJP can elect five nominees easily.
According to party insiders N Ravikumar from RSS and ABVP quota,Ashwathnarayangowda,party spokesperson and Tejasvini Gowda from Vokkaliga category,Rudregowda,Shivamogga BJP president and Vijay Sankeshwar,former MP and media baron from Lingayat section,MB Bhanuprakash,sitting MLC and Go Madhusudan,party spokesperson from Brahmin community are said to be strong contenders for the five seats.
It may be recalled here that the rift between BS Yeddyurappa and KS Eshwarappa began with the party choice for the Shivamogga Assembly ticket.If KS Eshwarappa was hell bent upon bagging the party nomination for the same BS Yeddyurappa had taken it as a personal challenge to ensure it to Rudregouda.
Rudregouda was narrowly defeated as KJP candidate in Shvamogga constituency during 2013 polls while KS Eshwarappa as a BJP candidate was reduced to 4th position.
So hook or crook both BS Yeddyurappa and KS Eshwarappa had made it a personal prestige.This issue stretched its ugly tentacles to such an extent that KS Eshwarappa went to the extent of forming Krantiveer Sangolli Rayanna Brigade under the guise of protecting the rights of all backward classes.
He also used the banner as a trump card to beat his own drums as the only savior of downtrodden populace.The platform also soon turned out to be platform for public diatribe against the state party president who was also declared as the party’s chief ministerial candidate by then.
BS Yeddyurappa’s public utterances were no better.He also made use of every available occasion to hit back at his own party’s junior colleague.Even one year before the polls BS Yeddyurappa and KS Eshwarappa started their vocal battle of bashing at each other.
This mutual public bashing didn’t stop in spite of repeated warnings to both from the party higher ups’.KS Eshwarappa also organized a public meeting at Palace grounds as an open violation of the party dictates.He went in open to initiate action against him if at all he had done a crime by remaining loyal to the party ever since he had been a member of it.
The logic was simple:BS Yeddyurappa has ditched the party but has been re accommodated and made the party president and chief ministerial candidate while he has been left in the lurch.
In a way KS Eshwarappa’s frequent outbursts against his own party president and vice versa became a laughing stock in open.Many onlookers wondered whether KS Eshwarappa was leader of the opposition in the legislative council to fight the Siddaramaiah government or a opposition leader to take the party president head on!
Amith Shah,BJP national president had to mediate to put an end to this never ending feud.At last KS Eshwarappa bid adieu to the Krantiveer Sangolli Rayanna Brigade reluctantly.
But that didn’t mean everything went very well later.KS Eshwarappa ensured that the Shivamogga ticket is guaranteed to him while BS Yeddyurappa simultaneously took enough care to see that Rudregouda,his protege was assured of the seat to the upper house.
But now the piquant situation is such if Rudregouda has to be accommodated then MB Bhanuprakash from the same Shivamogga district has to be deprived the opportunity for re election which has become an issue of heart burn for KS Eshwarappa.
MB Bhanuprakash had stood all along with KS Eshwarappa during his struggle with BS Yeddyurapa.So it would be unjustified for him to sacrifice his pal’s political interests.
Nor is BS Yeddyurappa prepared to yield.His argument is:DH Srikantamurthy,Chairman of legislative council is from Shivamogga district while KS Eshwarappa himself has served as leader of the opposition in the legislative council.Now he himself is the leader of opposition and state party president.So entertaining two members from the same district may not look a wise move in the present circumstances when there is a big queue of aspirants.
But KS Eshwarappa doesn’t seem to be inclined to listen.He is reported to stay away from the meeting in the state office this evening to take a call on the party nominees.
Hindusthan Samachar/Manohar Yadavatti
