BENGALURU, KOPPAL: Former Union Minister and former CM D V Sadananda Gowda and incumbent Koppal MP Sanganna Karadi have raised a banner of revolt after being denied tickets for the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
While Sadananda Gowda has made known his displeasure with the BJP and indicated that he could quit electoral politics, Sanganna Karadi held a meeting with his supporters in Koppal and said that the party seniors had advised him not to act in haste and that he would wait for four more days.
Speaking at a press conference, Sadananda Gowda claimed he was invited to join the Congress, but would not join the party. “I am upset with the BJP as the ticket from Bangalore North seat has been given to someone else in my place. Yes, I was invited to join the Congress party, but I will not join the Congress party…”, he said.
“Narendra Modi should become Prime Minister again. I had withdrawn from the election, but the BJP leaders (former BJP CMs) told me that I should stand for the election”, the former CM said. Without taking any specific names, he said that “a dictatorial attitude” doesn’t look good in democracy. “I will not stop until the party is purified. Sidelining those who have toiled hard for the party is not right”, he said.
Taking aim at veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa, he said, “Many people who have taken the responsibility are selfish in nature. People are saying that the party has become a family”, he said in an apparent reference to Yeddyurappa’s son and state BJP chief Vijayendra.
“I have made it very clear that fighting against Parivaarvaad is part of the purification of the BJP. We will work together for the Lok Sabha polls but after the polls we will work towards the purification of the party”, he said.
Sanganna Karadi, who held a ‘Swabhimani Samavesha’, said many people had questioned his stand and hence he was holding the meeting to elicit opinion of his supporters. “Yesterday, leaders like Rajesh, S A Ramadass, Yediyurappa, Nalin Kumar Kateel, V Sunil Kumar, Pralhad Joshi spoke to me and promised to set things right. I cannot reveal at this forum about our conversation. They told me that they have informed the party seniors about my winnability and I thanked them for the courtesy call”, he said.
Further, he said, “I am a fan of Narendra Modi and it’s okay if the ticket was denied to be, but those in favour of development should be supported. I don’t know if the top brass has taken a look at the progress report. But even before I have taken any decision, they are already talking about me. Let’s wait for four days before taking a decision”, he said.