BENGALURU: The opposition BJP in Karnataka has decided to strengthen the party base in the state ahead of the panchayat and other elections. The BJP Core Committee meeting held in Bengaluru on Thursday decided that leaders will travel across Karnataka in the coming days to strengthen the party organisation.
This comes in the wake of the party expelling three of its legislators — Yelahanka MLA ST Somashekar, Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, and Yellapur MLA Shivaram Hebbar — for six years on charges of anti-party activities.
The core committee discussed several issues, including the recent murders in Dakshina Kannada district, cases filed against BJP leaders, and the tiff between LoP in Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy and Minister Priyank Kharge.
According to BJP insiders, the meeting also discussed ways to strengthen those districts in the state where the party is weak. Each team, comprising core committee members and sitting and former MLAs, will visit 2-3 districts. The party also decided to hold elections for party president posts in those districts where there is a vacancy in the next 10 days.
Meanwhile, BJP sources said that a few state leaders expressed displeasure over high command leaders, including Union Ministers, not visiting Karnataka on a regular basis.
”They come to attend official events and not to build the party. Central leaders visiting us will boost the morale of party workers,” a leader on condition of anonymity said.
Another leader told The New Indian Express that the issue of lack of coordination among leaders in a few districts was also discussed.
“Party activities have to turn into a public movement... only then can we reach people,” he said.
Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra said that the meeting discussed ways to strengthen the party organisation and base in the state.
Vijayendra said that the Central Disciplinary Committee has suspended MLAs Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, ST Somashekar, and Shivaram Hebbar.
“In an earlier core committee meeting, disciplinary action against them was discussed and the same was brought to the notice of the party high command in Delhi. In today’s meeting, we thanked them for taking our opinion into consideration,” he said.
“The State Government tried to arrest VHP leaders over the murder of Suhas Shetty in Mangaluru. Then there was the illegal detention of LoP in Council Chalavadi Narayaswamy. Now, an FIR has been filed against Chief Whip Ravi Kumar in spite of him apologising for his remarks. We will also take to the streets to fight against this corrupt Congress government,” Vijayendra said.