YELLAPUR (UTTARA KANNADA): BJP MLA Arbail Shivaram Hebbar’s son Vivek Hebbar joined the Congress earlier this week. With this, speculation that Hebbar’s support to Congress for the Lok Sabha elections has come to the forefront, and to make it obvious, Hebbar has gone hammer and tongs against his own partymen.
It appears that Shivaram Hebbar is daring his party to oust him -- an action he has been waiting for as it does not attract anti-party defection laws. Hebbar, who joined the BJP in 2018, is tipped to return to the Congress, especially with arch-rival Vishveshwar Hegde Kageri contesting the Lok Sabha elections.
Hebbar, who had been tight-lipped over whether he would rejoin the Congress, lashed out at his own partymen who taunted him for his stance.
Replying to Kageri’s jibe that he has left voters confused, he said, “The people here know who did what. He adorned the seat of the Speaker because of my sacrifice. It is because 17 of us resigned and joined the BJP that BS Yediyurappa became chief minister for the fourth time... You could become Speaker. You too enjoyed power because of us.”
He also taunted Basavaraj Patil Yatnal for his remarks against him. “Whatever you have said against the party in the past one year has caused more damage to the party than my action. Since you do not know the politics of our district, you better shut your mouth,” he said.
Both Yatnal and Kageri had lashed out at Hebbar for not campaigning for the party candidate in Uttara Kannada.
Vivek Hebbar’s entry into the Congress has left the Yellapur BJP baffled as the party in the town will now be left leaderless. It is being read as a masterstroke by Congress leaders who grabbed his opponent VS Patil during the 2023 assembly polls, and now the winner himself is partially in the Congress. However, Shivaram Hebbar is not making his move yet, as it would attract Section 10 of the Anti-Defection Act, and he can be ousted as an elected representative.
Hebbar had joined BJP via Operation Lotus with 16 others to topple the Congress-JDS government, and was made labour minister by Yediyurappa, and continued as minister in the Bommai government.