BJP top brass calls anti-BY Vijayendra faction to New Delhi to straighten things up

The group is roping as many leaders as possible ahead of the Delhi visit to prove it strength to the high command.

Ramesh Jarkiholi, Basangouda Yatnal

BELAGAVI: The simmering discontent among some top state BJP leaders against state party president BY Vijayendra has made the party top brass sit up and take note. To cool the cauldron before it puts the party in crisis, the high command has asked Ramesh Jarkiholi and Basangouda Patil Yatnal, who have led the faction, to come to New Delhi on Sunday to talk it out.

Recently, besides Jarkiholi and Yatnal, former MLA Pratap Simha, GM Siddeshwara and Annasaheb Jolle huddled up for a meeting at a private resort in Belagavi. There, they decided to hold a padayatra to Ballari as a counter to the recently held BJP-JDS Myusuru march, which was planned and executed by Vijayendra.

The group is roping as many leaders as possible ahead of the Delhi visit to prove it strength to the high command. Though the purported aim of the Ballari padayatra is to highlight corruption in the Congress-led state government, the real reason is to show the group’s strength, sources said.

The faction had planned to meet again in Bengaluru on August 21. But it was called off after the BJP-RSS leadership’s summons to Jarkiholi and Yatnal. The next date for the Bengaluru meeting will be decided later, sources close to Jarkiholi said.

Sources in the group said many of them, including Yatnal, are upset with Vijayendra because they were neglected by him and former CM Yediyurappa during the recent Lok Sabha elections. While Simha and Siddeshwara were denied tickets, others feel they have had a raw deal at the hands of Vijayendra and Yediyurappa during the polls.

Yatnal, who has been opposing the leadership of Yediyurappa and Vijayendra for a long time, on Thursday said their group should not be branded rebel or disgruntled leaders of BJP, but should be rightly called “loyal party workers”.

“Our group aims at freeing BJP from adjustment politics prevalent in the state unit. We want to strengthen the party in the state and achieve its potential glory,” he said.

The visit of Yatnal and Jarkiholi to New Delhi is crucial as it will also decide the fate of Ballari padayatra and Bengaluru meeting.

If the high command refuses to give its assent, both the march and meeting will be cancelled. But when the two leaders meet the top brass, they will definitely talk about their issues with Vijayendra’s leadership, sources said.