BENGALURU: Seventeen former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs convened a meeting at the Sadashivnagar residence of former state minister Katta Subramanya Naidu in Bengaluru.
They demanded that dissident leaders within the party be instructed not to conduct a public awareness campaign on the Waqf Bill amendments under the leadership of Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal. Instead, they urged support for the leadership of the party’s state president BY Vijayendra.
The leaders also decided to meet party president J P Nadda and B L Santhosh to convey their concerns and request intervention to stop the dissident leaders. The meeting, which lasted over three hours on Thursday, concluded with the decision that any proposed campaign should be conducted under the supervision of the party’s state president and MLAs.
Vijayapura MLA Yatnal had earlier proposed a public awareness campaign regarding amendments to the Waqf Bill. However, several party leaders objected, urging Yatnal and others to refrain from organising an independent event.
“Basanagowda Patil Yatnal should not be allowed to conduct any campaign for any reason. It has been decided that party workers should be convinced about this, and the leadership should ensure Mr Yatnal and his team are not allowed to bypass state president B.Y. Vijayendra,” former minister and BJP leader M P Renukacharya, who attended the meeting, said. “The state president will lead the struggle and any protest, it is a tradition”, he added.
Renukacharya warned that the proposed campaign by dissident leaders might send the wrong message to party activists. “If the campaign planned by Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, Ramesh Jarkiholi, Kumar Bangarappa, Arvind Limbavali, and others is not stopped, it will send a wrong message to the party”, he said.
Party leaders also resolved to visit Delhi to meet senior leaders and recommend disciplinary action against those expressing displeasure with the leadership of B S Yediyurappa and Vijayendra. Renukacharya praised Vijayendra’s leadership, stating that the party has become stronger under his guidance.
“With Vijayendra as the president, the organisation has gained new strength and spirit. He was instrumental in bringing the Valmiki and MUDA scandals to their logical conclusion. Discontent was expressed during the meeting about some people speaking lightly about him”, Renukacharya added.
The ex-MLAs also decided to visit central districts in Karnataka to oppose what they described as the government’s anti-people policies. “In the first stage, 15 members will join the effort. The BJP remains strong. Currently, there are already three touring teams. It has been requested that a fourth team not be allowed. I will visit Delhi to meet party leaders. The Waqf-related struggle should be led by B Y Vijayendra”, Renukacharya said.
He reiterated that there is no factionalism within the party, asserting that the leaders were merely questioning dissidents who sought to hold a public campaign without involving the state president. More than 17 prominent leaders, including former minister B C Patil and former MLAs Rupali Naik, Sunil Naik, Sunil Hegde, Y Sampangi, S K Bellubbi, Madal Virupakshappa, Venkata Muniyappa, Nagendra, and Niranjan Kumar were present at the meeting. (ANI)