JOIN USBJP state executive meeting from today, KSE to attend
A two-day BJP state executive meeting is all set to commence in Mysuru from Saturday amid a running feud between senior leaders B S Yeddyurappa and K S Eshwarappa.
BJP national general secretary in-charge of Karnataka P Muralidhar Rao will inaugurate the meeting and party state president Yeddyurappa will preside. Union ministers Ananth Kumar, D V Sadananda Gowda, Ramesh Jigajinagi, Nirmala Sitharaman and former Union minister D Purandeswari will take part in the two-day meeting. Besides, MPs, MLAs, MLCs, district presidents and general secretaries and morcha presidents will attend the meet.
In Bengaluru, Eshwarappa said that he will be attending the meeting on both the days, putting an end to speculation that he and his supporters will be skipping the event. “We are loyal party workers. How can we stay away from the state executive committee meeting?” he said.
Eshwarappa was scheduled to participate in a workshop for the members of the Sangolli Rayanna Brigade in Raichur on May 8. Eshwarappa said the Brigade event has been postponed and the new dates for the workshop will be announced soon.
According to BJP sources, the central leadership communicated to Eshwarappa that they will be left with no option but to initiate action against him and his supporters if they stay away from the state executive.
However, Eshwarappa’s name does not figure in the list of those leaders, who will be addressing the meeting.
In Mysuru, Yeddyurappa tried to play down his rift with Eshwarappa. Speaking to reporters he said that all the issues between the party leaders have been resolved and all are united. “The rift in the party between me and Eshwarappa in connection with the Sangolli Rayanna Brigade has been resolved,” he said.
Highlighting the issues to be discussed at the executive, he said, two resolutions — regarding the state’s political situation and drought in the state — will be passed. “The state government has failed to manage the drought situation. We will chalk out a plan on the agitation to be launched against the state government over its failure in tackling the drought,” he said.
According to sources, around 300 party workers are involved in making preparations for the meeting scheduled to be held at Rajendra Kalamandira. The feud between Yeddyurappa and Eshwarappa had hit a new low during the last few days with the central leadership sending Muralidhar Rao for damage control. Eshwarappa had launched a no holds barred public tirade against Yeddyurappa’s style of functioning at a convention in Bengaluru recently, blaming him for taking unilateral decisions and denting the morale of party workers.