BC Patil says he’ll remain in BJP, hopes to get ticket from Haveri Lok Sabha constituency

BENGALURU: Former minister B C Patil has expressed his displeasure at senior BJP leader K S Eshwarappa on the issue of the Lok Sabha ticket from Haveri constituency. He was answering a query about Eshwarappa lobbying to get a ticket for his son from the parliamentary seat.

Amid speculation on whether he would return to the Congress, B C Patil said, “I have already expressed my desire to contest. If the BJP party gives me the ticket from Haveri Lok Sabha constituency, I will remain here. If they give the ticket to someone else, I will work for the party’s choice of candidate”.

“The party will not offer tickets to anyone else. The BJP will not give tickets to everyone. We have said that it is okay if they give it to someone from Haveri and Gadag and there is no reason to give it to anyone from outside. It is difficult to give tickets to outsiders. There should be something contribution to the constituency, there has to be work done for the people. This is what we have insisted upon and to give tickets to the locals of Gadag and Haveri”, he taunted K S Eshwarappa.

Patil also said, “It is not true that I am leaving the party. I will not leave the party, I will stay in the BJP. None of those who came with us will leave”.

Commenting on the issue that some BJP leaders who came from the Congress last time are returning to that party, he said that no one has returned to Congress. “There were rumours about S T Somasekhar and Shivaram Hebbar, but they won’t go. What will they do there? There is some dissatisfaction, but what can we do going there?” he asked.

Referring to a viral photo of him talking to D K Shivakumar, Patil said, “There is a proverb that everything looks yellow to a jaundiced eye. It was just an informal meeting at a birthday party and we had a casual discussion. We were already at the party and then D K Shivakumar came. He is the Deputy Chief Minister of the state and of course, we have to speak to him with respect and I talked the same way, there was nothing more to it”. He insisted that it was just an accidental meeting and no other meaning should be drawn to it.

“Sudeep had invited Shivakumar for dinner and Raju Gowda also came. We had not meet Shivakumar after he became the Deputy CM. I spoke to him out of courtesy. I did not expect that Shivakumar would be at that event”, B C Patil explained.