B S Yediyurappa
Credit: PTI File Photo
Bengaluru: BJP veteran B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday publicly reached out to lawmaker Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and his group, urging them to join the party’s ‘official’ agitation against Waqf, instead of making it a ‘prestige issue’ by continuing with parallel protests in the state over the issue.
Speaking to reporters here, Yediyurappa said, “Already BJP state president (B Y Vijayendra) has made it clear by appealing to everyone to take part in the party’s agitation. But Yatnal seems to have taken out a parallel protest for the sake of his own ‘prestige’. It is not right on his part. At least now, he should give up his agitation and join the party’s agitation.” The former chief minister said his (Yatnal’s) actions must have come to the party high command’s notice.
“We have done our duty by appealing to him to join the party’s agitation to strengthen its hands. All the matters will be discussed and sorted out at the party high command level,” he said in response to a question as to whether the party would initiate action against him. Yatnal, who has been a vocal critic of Yediyurappa and his son Vijayendra for the last four years, is now leading a group comprising about a dozen disgruntled leaders like former ministers Kumar Bangarappa, Aravind Limbavali, Ramesh Jarkiholi, former MPs Annaasheb Jolle, Pratap Simha and G M Siddeshwara.
Their criticism has grown shriller post the Lok Sabha elections. Jarkiholi and Yatnal openly issued statements, saying that they will not accept Vijayendra’s leadership in the state and have refused to work under him.
Yatnal kickstarted his parallel protest from Bidar on Monday. On Tuesday, he held his yatra in Kalaburagi, with Kumar Bangarappa, Limbavali and Jarkiholi by his side.
Reacting to NDA’s defeat in the byelections in the state, Yediyurappa observed that all must share the blame for the defeat in the three seats. “We have to accept it and analyse what led to the debacle. Everyone must take responsibility and see to it that the mistakes are not repeated.”
When asked about whether these defeats would be seen as a setback to Vijayendra, he insisted that the question of any individual, Yediyurappa or Vijayendra, doesn’t arise. “The drubbing is a setback to all of us,” he said.