BENGALURU: Former chief minister Jagadish Shettar on Tuesday held BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh responsible for his exit from the party. He told reporters here that to ensure Hubballi-Dharwad Central seat to his “blue-eyed” boy Mahesh Tenginkai, Santhosh forced him out of BJP. Shettar said this had happened to him for the second time. In the 2018 elections, Tenginkai got the party ticket for Kalaghatagi seat because of Santhosh. The party also gave him its B Form.
But when local leaders strongly objected to giving ticket to an “outsider”, the party gave C Form to CM Nimbannavar, asking Tenginkai to withdraw his papers.
Shettar said, “Tenginkai launched a whispering campaign six months ago stating that the party would deny me ticket and he (Tenginkai) would be a strong contender for Hubballi-Dharwad Central seat. Without the support of a ‘tall’ leader like Santhosh, such a campaign could not be launched.” An audio clip in which BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel claims that Shettar and KS Eshwarappa would not be given tickets to contest the Assembly elections proved their intention right, the former BJP leader said.
He said though he had informed the State BJP Core Committee and the central leadership about a smear campaign against him within the party, they did not take it seriously.
‘BL Santhosh spoiling BJP’s prospects’
Despite suffering humiliation for months, he remained quiet. The humiliation continued and when he could not tolerate it anymore, he decided to quit the party.
Shettar said he was not allowed to speak even for a few minutes at the state executive meetings of the party in the past three years and was also not consulted while finalising tickets for the Assembly elections. “A ticket is no mere reason for me to quit BJP. But, it is the ill-treatment which forced me to take a decision to quit the party,” he added.
Shettar also blamed Santosh for denial of tickets to MLA SA Ramadas for Krishnaraja seat in Mysuru district and G Madhusudan for South Graduates’ seat in the past. Things have changed in Bharatiya Janata Party. Now, personality comes first and the party next, he alleged.
“I don’t know why the party is giving so much importance to Santosh, who failed to make a mark when he was made in-charge of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Telangana elections. He is spoiling the BJP’s prospects in Karnataka too by creating a divide in the party,” Shettar said.