BJP Strikes Against Yeddy: Dhananjaya Kumar Booted Out
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Oct 16: Even as angry and scorned BJP strongman belonging to the politically powerful Lingayat community B S Yeddyurappa is set on quitting the saffron party and forming his own regional outfit, which is expected to be named as Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) in December, the ruling party has decided to strike against him by expelling his staunch supporter V Dhananjaya Kumar, who had been recently ousted as the State Government’s special representative in Delhi.
Dhananjaya Kumar, the former Mangalore MP from BJP, on Tuesday hit out against the State BJP leadership for targeting the loyalists of Yeddyurappa.
The Karnataka BJP General Secretary Raghunatharao Malkapure, who is also the State party disciplinary committee chairman, on Tuesday said Kumar has been expelled from the party for a period of six years "for anti-party activities" on the direction of the State party president K S Eshwarappa, who is also the State Deputy Chief Minister.
File Photo
Kumar left to Delhi to meet the party’s national leaders to apprise them of the developments.
Meanwhile, former chief minister Yeddyurappa, who is yet to react to the expulsion of his staunch supporter from the state party, had recently indicated that he has made up his mind to quit BJP and form his own party. He had also made it clear that he would not like the MLAs and Ministers, who are loyal to him, not to quit at this state and destabilize the government and that they can join him as the assembly elections to the State assembly are announced.
Yeddyurappa had declared that he should not be blamed for any consequences if any of his supporters were harmed.
The former Union minister of state for finance in the A B Vajpayee ministry, Kumar, who was appointed as the State Government’s special representative in Delhi by Yeddyurappa and continued in the same post by his successor D V Sadananda Gowda, caustically asked the State BJP leadership as to why the party did not take similar action against some other leaders.
The post of the Special Representative of the State Government in Delhi, enjoys the status and perks of a cabinet minister and entitles the holder to have offices and staff in both Delhi as well as in Bangalore.
Kumar, in his reply to the October 6 showcause notice issued by state unit General Secretary Raghunathrao Malkapure, has stated “the party is initiating disciplinary action against me just because I am a supporter of Yeddyurappa. Is the party trying to send a message that nobody should protest against injustice. Is this the ideology of BJP?”
Going by the yardstick applied to Yeddyurappa, who was forced to quit in the face of allegations of corruption,” Kumar wanted to know why same action was not initiated against Anant Kumar after he faced allegations in HUDCO scam and his name was linked to corporate lobbyist Nira Raadia?”
Kumar also questioned why the party did not act against state unit President K S Eswarappa for his statements that caused “a dent” to the image of the party and also against RSS leader Santosh, who faced several allegations.
Releasing copies of his reply to the press, he defended his action saying, “since the party leaked the showcause notice to the press much before it reached me, I am also following the same method“.
BJP had issued the notice on Kumar in the wake of his outbursts against the Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar over handling of the Cauvery issue.