BENGALURU : Former minister V Somanna, who was sulking over the appointment of former chief minister B S Yediyurappa’s son B Y Vijayendra as Karnataka BJP president, seems to have come to terms with the new dispensation. He was back in action on Sunday, working for the party as the Lok Sabha elections draw near.
Keeping the polls in mind, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi took the initiative to pacify Somanna, a prominent Veerashaiva-Lingayat leader in Old Mysuru region, according to sources. Somanna is likely to visit central leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and National President J P Nadda on January 7 and 8.
Somanna is a prominent leader in Bengaluru and can affect results of Bengaluru South LS seat. He has been insisting that the high command should settle the issue with Yediyurappa and Vijayendra, and voiced this again on Sunday, saying he did not want the duo to trouble him in future. Somanna was on his old turf, Govindaraja Nagar assembly constituency in Bengaluru, which he had represented as MLA.
“No leader should suffer for being loyal to the party and obeying orders of the high command,” said Somanna, who had contested from Varuna and Chamarajanagar assembly seats and lost both. “I did not lose because of the Congress party. The high command should instruct them (Yediyurappa and Vijayendra) not to trouble me anymore in future,” he said, addressing party workers on Kuvempu’s birth anniversary.
According to sources, Somanna had planned to lead a delegation of disgruntled leaders, including Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, to the Centre, but has now put aside the plan following Joshi’s intervention.
“I made a mistake by quitting Govindaraja Nagar. I hope that by January 10, everything will be settled. I will express my pain to the high command who will give me justice,” he said. “I am not stagnant water, and have my own commitments. Someone might have done black magic on me because of which I quit Govindaraja Nagar seat. If someone had suffered the pain I did, he would not have returned to the constituency.”
Somanna denied that he planned to quit the BJP and join the Congress and become a candidate from Tumakuru LS seat. He clarified that he wants Narendra Modi as PM again. According to sources, Somanna may be nominated as MLC, and later be allowed to contest from Govindaraja Nagar assembly seat again.