BANGALORE: In a sure sign that all is not well within the BJP, Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda and K S Eshwarappa were among those excluded from former CM B S Yeddyurappa’s birthday bash, which will be held on Monday. Three seers, each belonging to Lingayat, Vokkaliga and backward classes will also attend the event, which is organised by the backward classes forum. The event will be held at Gubbi Thotadappa Choultry, beside the Bangalore City railway station.
It may be recalled Yeddyurappa’s name was not on the invitation card of the recent bhoomi pooja for the installation of gigantic Shivalinga on the premises of Siddaganga Mutt.
The former CM’s name was also missing from the conference of Panchamsali convention held at Gokak in Belgaum district. However, Sadananda Gowda attended both the programmes.
Yeddyurappa in a letter to Dr Shivakumara Swamiji, the seer of Siddaganga Mutt expressed pain and agony at being neglected. The seer later clarified that he had no role in printing of invitation and there was no question of insulting Yeddyurappa.
However, backward classes forum convenor M D Lakshminarayana said the birthday function was only organised by individuals and neither a government nor a BJP programme.
“Sadananda Gowda could either come to the function or go to Yeddyurappa’s residence to wish him. But let not much importance be attached to the missing names of the chief minister and state BJP president in the invitation. It is a non-issue,” Lakshminarayan added.