Did BJP history push BSY to jump into action?

The party has a history of not reinstating its leaders as CMs even after they are absolved of the charges against them.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa. (File photo: EPS)
Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa. (File photo: EPS)

BANGALORE: BJP’s history is replete with instances of not reinstating its leaders in the CM’s gaddi even after they are absolved of the “charges against them”, and this might have forced former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa to take the extreme step of herding his supporters to a resort.

Take for instance the erstwhile Delhi strongman Madan Lal Khurana of the Jana Sangh vintage. When his name figured in the hawala scam along with that of L K Advani, he was asked to resign as Delhi CM. However, he was never reinstated after he was absolved of the charges. Interestingly, Advani, who was also cleared of the charges, contested Lok Sabha elections subsequently and went on to become the deputy prime minister.

Khurana’s fight for justice ended in his expulsion from the party. Though, he rejoined the BJP after being in wilderness for some time, he has been a persona non grata in the party.

Another classic instance is that of Uma Bharati, who had to resign as Madhya Pradesh CM, following filing of a charge-sheet against her in a Hubli court in the Idgah Maidan case. Her pleas for reinstatement fell on deaf ears. She quit the party following a tiff with Advani, formed her own political outfit and after some dilly-dallying, rejoined the BJP. But by that time, the party had already chosen Vidisha MP Shivraj Singh Chauhan as CM to replace Uma Bharati. Similarly, Virendra Kumar Saklecha, who was removed as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, was not reinstated.

In Gujarat, Shankar Singh Vaghela, a staunch RSS pracharak and leader of some stature since the Jan Sangh days, had to resign as CM but never found his way back. He floated his own political outfit and later merged it with the Congress.

Almost at the same time, the BJP had chosen Keshubhai Patel, Suresh Mehta and later Narendra Modi as chief ministers.

Even the erstwhile hero of Ayodhya movement, Kalyan Singh, was not favoured after he quit the party, as the BJP had chosen Ramprakash Gupta and later Rajnath Singh to head the government. Obviously, it was but quite natural that Yeddyurappa did not want this disastrous history to repeat in his case.

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