BENGALURU: A feud between camps led by national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh and former chief minister BS Yediyurappa is said to be the reason for BJP’s delay in picking a leader of the opposition and carrying out an organisational rejig.
With the monsoon session of the legislature set to begin on July 3, BJP is under pressure to select an opposition leader. It also must pick a new state party president, although it has time on this front. But the fight between two camps is delaying the process.
Leaders of each group are setting up their ‘mouthpieces’ to vent opinions in public, creating chaotic situations in a party that took pride in its discipline all these years. The recent war of words between state BJP functionaries is said to be the result of the power tussle.
Sources say a group loyal to Santhosh is pressing for people who are originally from BJP with RSS backgrounds to take over the two posts. This has shifted the focus to BJP MLAs like Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, V Sunil Kumar, and CN Ashwath Narayan for the opposition leader post, and BJP national general secretaryCT Ravi and Union minister of state for agriculture Shobha Karandlaje for the state BJP president post.
A section of Santhosh’s group is also batting for Yatnal to be anointed state president considering that he is a Lingayat, the prime votebank of BJP, and popular among a section of youths. But Yatnal is said to have his eyes set on the opposition leader post to get rid of his image of being a non-serious politician.
Advocating Yatnal’s name for both posts is also being seen as an effort to scuttle the chances of former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai becoming opposition leader.
Bommai is being backed by Yediyurappa. However, given his articulation skillsand knowledge in matters of finance, agriculture, and irrigation, the high command is likely to favour him to take on the government.
The on-going allegations and counter-allegations over ‘adjustment politics’ within BJP are also being seen as a move to thwart Bommai’s chances.
The group loyal to Yediyurappa is also making efforts to get first-time MLA BY Vijayendra one of the two posts. They are trying to convince the party high command that giving Vijayendra a prominent post will help retain Yediyurappa’s fans with BJP.
But it has met with opposition with both Ravi and Mysuru MP Prathap Simha accusing the father-son duo of ‘adjustment politics’.